The Caged Bird
by Jashire
Summary: Raven's life before she met the Titans...told in a whole new way. ch. 10 will be up soon!
1. Prologue: Metrion's Prophecy

**Hello, everyone! I'm Jashire486 and, well this is my first story on here! Woo hoo! I've been reading stories here for a long time and now, I've finally gotten the courage to actually write one! Since this is my first, I want as much feedback and comment as possible (especially on ways I could improve) so PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Now, about this story…well it's mostly focused on Raven. I've basically made up her entire past…yes, her father is still Trigon, and she still has that I'm-a-half-demon-and-I'm-eventually-going-to-end-the-world problem, but I've made up everything about her mother, her family, her (other) friends, and her home. The other titans don't come into the story until way later so…yeah. Just to warn you.**

**Things to know:**

"…." Talking

'….' Thinking

"…_." Talking in a different language_

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans, or anything else about Raven that was made up by Cartoon Network and DC comics…but I do own the characters I made up for this story. (There are _a lot _of them) Please don't use them without my permission. Oh, and I don't own the prophecy…or at least, the first part of it…Everything from the words "But when it seems that all is lost" and the words "And give us back our world" I _do _own so…don't use them without asking.**

**On with the story…**

The Caged Bird

Prologue: Metrion's Prophecy

It was a dark, cloudy night on the planet known as Azarath. Delsetor, the moon, along with the many stars nearby was hidden from all below. The wind howled, causing trees and other tall objects to bend in its direction. None of the usual night time animals were out and about looking for food, but were rather in their nice cozy burrows, nests, caves and whatnot. Around here, these were definite signs that a storm, most likely filled with rain and floods, was coming. It would be best to stay indoors, and that's why the whole place looked so deserted. Everyone was safe in their homes, making sure they were prepared for what was coming, including the king of that land.

He dwelt in the huge castle settled on top of an enormous green hill, where he could see for miles around and watch over the townsfolk. When one of his servants saw the signs of a storm, the king immediately ordered all his workers to close the gates, bring in the animals, and do what needed to be done. That had been two hours ago. He now sat in his study in front of the huge glass windows that covered nearly an entire wall. His back was to the door as he looked outside, deep in thought, sipping on red wine.

The king was a tall man in his 30's. He had neck length, brown wavy hair, and wore comfortable yet expensive looking clothes. Over that he had on a dark blue velvet cloak, lined at the edges with silver lace. He had gray, kind eyes and a kind looking face. He was well liked among the townsfolk for being caring and generous, and always putting his people first. Many of them wondered why such a good man had no wife and children of his own.

The king continued to sit there in his favorite chair, watching as the clouds rumbled with thunder and lightning came shooting out of the sky. He had work to do tonight, work that scared yet fascinated him. A sudden knocking brought the man back to this world as he turned around and shouted, "Come in!"

A tired, middle aged woman in a tan colored dress with a white apron over it opened the door slowly. "Your Majesty," began the woman. "A man who calls himself Lord Rythor is at the gate. He says he is here because you sent for him."

"Very good," answered the king. "Before you let him in, remember to check that he's actually Rythor."

"Of course your Majesty." The woman bowed and exited the study. The king slowly got up, put away the wine, and headed toward the door. Just as he was about to turn the knob, he heard a strange noise behind him. Turning around, he saw something next to the windows, on the other side of the glass. There wasn't much light in the room, and it was dark outside, so he could only see the shape of whatever it was.

The king could make out that it was some kind of…strange creature, definitely not human. It had a head two times the size of a normal man's, with two long pointy ears that stuck out at an angle. It had a huge, muscular body, with two strong arms and legs. The king could see a tail three feet long behind the creature, ending in a flat, spade shape. The thing had a pair of bat like looking wings, which were keeping it in the air. But the thing that was freaking the king out the most were the four red eyes in the creature's face, glowing with a light that he just couldn't stop looking at.

The thing was staying in the same place, doing nothing but staring at him. For a minute, the king just stood there, in shock and fear, not sure of what to do. Then, as he saw the thing lifting its arms, he spun around, flung open the door, and ran out of the room, not once looking back. The moment the king was out of sight, the creature lowered its arms, bowed its head and disappeared in a cloud of black mist.

TT

When he got to the top of the stairs, the king stopped to get his breath back. Many thoughts were running through his head, but the one that he was most afraid of was the idea that that creature might get into the castle. 'What if it wants me?' thought the king as he slowly descended the steps. 'After all, all it was doing was looking at me…just at me…'

The moment he reached the bottom step, one of his servants quickly approached him. "Your Majesty, the Lord Rythor has arrived."

"Has he come alone?" asked the king as he stepped off the stairs and stood in the nearly empty hallway.

"Yes, he has, sir," answered the servant. "He says his brother was not able to accompany him, for he has become terribly ill."

"Really? Goodness, something _must _be going around, it seems like everyone is getting sick."

"You're right, Galvion. I suspect my daughter is catching it too, but she hides it cleverly so she can ride in the woods with her brothers," answered a voice around the corner.

The king and the servant turned to see a tall man, dressed in fine clothes, coming down the hall. He had shoulder length black hair and wore an ankle length maroon velvet cloak, lined at the edges with gold lace, similar to the king's cloak. The man's hood was down so you could see his facial features. He had a handsome face, like most of the humans on Azarath, and pale skin, another Azarathian trait. The man's eyes were dark green and had a stern look in them, but he had on a joyful smile that betrayed what they showed he was feeling.

When he reached the king, the two hugged, for they were best friends, and had known each other since they were little. This was Rythor's first visit to the castle though, so no one but the king knew who he was. The servant, still standing there, began to feel nervous and out of place. The king finally noticed him, and said, "Oh my, I forgot you were still here. Goodness, I must be getting old. Thank you, young man. You may leave." The servant bowed to the king, then Lord Rythor, and walked quickly down the hall and around the corner.

"So," began the king as he turned back to the smiling man. "Rythor, my good man, I haven't seen you in so long. How are your wife and children?"

"Very well, very well. My wife is away visiting her relatives, and my sons, goodness Galvion they are growing so fast, but not as fast as my daughter. She always tries to keep up with her brothers, and never wants to be left behind when they go out on their horses. I assume you are doing well here?"

"Yes, and I am very thankful you were willing to travel all the way out here, Rythor-"

"Oh it's nothing, friend," interrupted Rythor. "After all, I didn't come here just to visit you. We have…business to take care of, correct?"

"Oh yes," remembered the king. "I almost forgot. Well, we must deal with this first, I guess. He is in one of the guests' rooms on the third floor. Shall we go there now?"

"Um…wait Galvion," said Rythor urgently. "I need to…speak with you. Privately. Is that possible?"

The king looked at the man with concern. "Is there something wrong, friend?"

Lord Rythor was no longer looking at the king's face. Instead he was looking at the floor, as if he was nervous and ashamed. "I…I just need to talk to you about this…business we're going to get ourselves into."

"Oh…okay. Hmm…well we could discuss this in my stu-" The king stopped, remembering the beast he saw lurking outside the windows of that room.

"Yes? Discuss this where?" asked Rythor, looking up at him.

"Uh…in the…library. Yes, yes, the library…you see my study is…uh, quite cluttered. You wouldn't want to be in there, trust me," answered the king as he led the way up the stairs to the library. Rythor, confused, responded with an "…okay, sure" and followed him up the steps.

TT

Once they were in the library, sitting in the comfortable chairs near the fireplace, Rythor asked his friend a question. "Galvion…do you really think we should be getting involved in this, ah, well this unusual situation?"

The king, who was currently pouring wine for both of them, stopped, put down the bottle and looked up at him. "Rythor…please don't tell me you are thinking of backing out now?"

"Galvion, I am really…unsure whether we should really be doing this. I know we worked very hard to find him, and it took even more work to convince him to come with us, but these matters…they are…dangerous, to say the least."

"Dangerous? Rythor, you knew from the start that this would be very dangerous indeed! You seemed so eager to do this before, why are you acting like this-"

"Because, Galvion!" cut in Rythor. "This situation is filled with magic! Old, old magic that we know hardly anything about! I know…I know I was so excited to do this before, but during the past week, I've been…I've been having second thoughts about what _could _happen. Haven't you ever thought about that, Galvion? About what _might just happen _if we _meddle _in these things?"

"Of course I have!" yelled the king at his friend. "I…I always think about the consequences of what we're doing…but what I fear even more than that…is what would happen if we _didn't _do anything about this. If we just…let it all occur without taking any action to do something about it. We _need _to find out what's going on, Rythor…we _need _to know what's happening so we can _warn _our people, before it's too late."

Lord Rythor did not speak for a moment. He stared at the fireplace, watching the lights dance and the heat burn the wood. After a while, he spoke. "…You're right. You're absolutely right. We…I…I'm sorry for having doubts about this, Galvion. I-"

"No need to apologize, my friend," said the king as he placed his hand on his friend's. "It just means you care about-"

"No don't say I care…my thoughts were selfish, while yours were only filled with helping your people's, the way a king's should be. You really are a good ruler, Galvion."

The king didn't respond to his friend's words, but said, "Come. Our…guest is waiting."

The two got up, threw water on the fireplace to quench the flames, and exited the room, closing the door quietly behind them.

TT

As they walked down the hallway to visit their mysterious "guest", the king began to speak to Lord Rythor about what had been going on during the past few weeks.

"Rythor, remember the day we found this man in his home near that beautiful waterfall in the North?" Rythor nodded his head. "If you can recall, he was a bit ill, wasn't he? Well he has not gotten better…the healers have no idea what is the matter with him, nor do they have any idea what he has caught! I am worried…they say they do not know if he will survive this."

"But Galvion," answered Rythor. "This man, he is the greatest prophet to have ever been born on this planet! Prophets usually live longer than his current age, don't they? And furthermore, you and I both know he is _not _mortal…he's one of the divine immortals, blessed with _long life! _The man is only 107, but looks younger than the both of us! How can he die now?"

"I don't know, Rythor," answered the king as they stopped outside a door at the end of a long hallway. "But he is deeply involved in magic…who knows what he could've gotten himself into?" After saying this, the king put his hand on the doorknob and slowly opened the door.

The room in front of them was not very big, it was the typical size of a normal bedroom, but it _was _in the royal castle, so it was furnished with very high class looking furniture. The floors were smooth stone, but it was mostly covered with a huge, soft violet rug. The walls were also made of stone, but there were hangings on them to make the room more comfortable. Two medium sized windows were in the wall across from the door. In the left wall there was a small fireplace whose light was the only light they could see. A very comfy looking bed was in the corner with its back pushed against the wall opposite the fire. It was a four-poster, with see through white curtains hanging on them. The two could see a figure lying under the sheets through the curtains, though they didn't know if the person was actually asleep or not.

To answer their question, a raspy, weak voice spoke from the bed. "Your highness, please come in. If you have the desire to speak with me, I do not mind at all."

Both slowly walked inside, Lord Rythor closing the door silently. The king grabbed two chairs in one of the corners of the room, placed them near the head of the bed, and sat on one of them. When Rythor had sat down, the king began.

"Metrion," he started, slowly. "H-How are you doing? Do you think you feel anymore better than you felt yesterday?" Metrion slowly lifted a hand, and Lord Rythor, realizing he was trying to pull away the curtains, did it for him. "Thank you, my lord," said Metrion tiredly. Without the curtains in the way, Rythor could properly see the man's face.

He was a handsome man, who looked younger than Rythor and Galvion. He had straight, shiny silver hair that reached his shoulders, and had beautiful lavender eyes. When the lord and king had found him on their little journey to the North, he was pale, as most Azarathians are. But now, it seemed to Rythor that he had gotten even paler than that. At his home near the waterfall, he had an air of mystery yet power around him, and when he first saw him, Rythor looked at him in awe. But now, that aura seemed to be hardly present. He looked weak, fragile, and Rythor found himself pitying him. But Metrion still had that strong look full of wisdom in his eyes that made the lord respect him so. He knew he was a man who wouldn't take anyone's pity for him.

"I see you have arrived here safely, Lord Rythor…I hope it-" He paused to cough, and seeing this, Rythor's eyes saddened. "I hope it brought you no trouble to come and see me…"

"Oh sir, please don't worry, I came here willingly, it was no trouble at all," replied Rythor softly. In truth, it _did _cause him a bit of trouble to go to the king's castle because he lived a bit of a distance from his friend, and in the town Rythor lived in the storm was already starting. As he left, it seemed like it followed him to his friend's home, and since his brother was ill, he had to travel alone. Of course, he didn't bother to tell the sick man this.

"Still, I am very thankful you came all this way," continued Metrion. "Anyway your highness, I am assuming that the two of you wanted to speak to me?" The king, who was once again deep in thought staring at the rug on the floor, remembered the business they had to attend to. "Oh yes, uh…well Metrion, I'm guessing you know that there is a reason why we brought you here beside the fact that we found you a little sick?"

"Yes, I have indeed known that there is something you have been hiding from me…I even knew before you arrived at my home that I would be getting some visitors from the West, you see I had a vision the night before that one. I found it quite strange you two came to see me, for I usually don't have many visitors this time of year." The prophet coughed, and the king kindly patted and rubbed the man's back. "Thank you, thank you," said Metrion after his little coughing fit. The king smiled in response.

"Sir," began Rythor. "You see…for a while now, the king and I have been searching for you. A man we met in a town far from here said we should go and find you to get some answers to our questions." He paused, thinking of how to word his thoughts. "Galvion, I think that maybe we should tell this tale from the beginning, it will be _much _easier for us."

The king nodded as he said, "You're right…hmm…so, where shall we begin?" "Start with Jorya, after all, that's when we got ourselves into this mess," replied his friend. "Okay…sir, I'm sure that you know who Jorya is, correct?" Metrion, resting his head on two pillows and looking at the fireplace across the room said, "Of course I do. Even though I live isolated from most, I still hear the many rumors and gossip spreading about. Jorya…yes I have heard that name. She is the one that brags to have inner sight far greater than all the prophets' sight on Azarath…including my own. Am I right?" He looked up at the two sitting near him.

Rythor smiled and nodded while the king said, "Exactly right, Metrion. You see, when Lord Rythor and I were in the village she lives in, we were visiting a friend of ours, we came across her in the market. Somehow she recognized me instantly as the king, and urged the two of us to go to her home for a visit. Not wanting to be rude, we agreed.

"Her house was the biggest among the villagers, I guess she is wealthy enough to have a huge home. Anyway, we followed her inside. As you can imagine, she was very excited to have met the king and one of his lords, and she used this time that she had us to herself to brag about her 'great gift' and the wealth and fame she had. Rythor and I knew about her as you do, Metrion, and unlike others, we didn't believe she was actually a real prophet. But that day, something happened that made us have second thoughts about it." The king stopped, letting Rythor take his place.

"Galvion and I were sitting in her living room, waiting for her to return with some azalian tea she had in her kitchen. When she came back and had finished pouring some for each of us, she took a seat at the other side of the table across from us. We chatted for awhile, and of course she had sugar coated her words that were full of greed and vanity. We honestly wanted to leave as soon as possible…and we were going to, but before Galvion said a word, I stopped him. I had seen a strange look in Jorya's eyes, which were no longer greedy but were rather dazed, a kind of far away look had taken them. Her head was bowed, and she was looking at the floor.

"The two of just sat there, watching her. All of a sudden her head snapped up, making us jump. We thought she was looking at us, but she was actually staring at the wall behind us, as though there was a window there with something interesting outside. Then she began to speak, slowly at first, then with a little more speed later. I don't remember all of her actual words, but I do remember what she was talking about.

"She spoke of something…an event that would occur here in mortal lands, but not when. An event that would be so tragic and horrible it would be a danger to everyone. She didn't give too many details about it, but she said that it would bring about the death of all humans. Galvion and I were worried, we weren't sure if we should trust her words, but my friend was certain that we should because things would be simply devastating if we didn't. I agreed reluctantly. When Jorya finished speaking, she fainted in her chair. We carried her to her bedroom upstairs, and then left the house."

Lord Rythor stopped to rest while the king continued, "After that happened, we went on a little quest to find out more about this. The person we saw before you was an old man who lived in a town near the huge lake east of here. When we talked to him, he advised us to look for _you_, Metrion. We already knew you as the great prophet, but he said that you were also deeply involved with magic, and that you have traveled to all four corners of this planet. He said you were very wise, and that you might be able to give us some answers." The king paused to look at the prophet lying on the bed. He had closed his eyes for a few minutes now, but the two could still see him breathing, so they did not worry. They just assumed he was tired. Lord Rythor reached out a hand to wake the man, when Metrion suddenly opened his eyes, and sat bolt upright in his bed, staring straight ahead.

This made the two men fall out of their chairs onto the floor; they had not expected that to happen. Through the windows they saw the sky getting darker than it was before, and they heard the clouds rumble with thunder...but if it was possible, the thunder seemed to have gotten _louder_. The king slowly rose, helping up his friend. Both their gazes stuck to Metrion, who wasn't moving at all. He just sat there, as if he was in a trance. Afraid of something strange happening, Lord Rythor planned to leave the room and get help, while the king stayed to make sure the other man wouldn't get hurt. Just as he was about to turn the doorknob, something was happening to the prophet.

His eyes slowly began to glow with green light and he opened his mouth to speak. "The gem…the gem," began Metrion. "The gem was born of evil's fire…the gem shall be his portal…" Lord Rythor and the king stood frozen on the spot, listening to his words. "He comes to claim…he comes to sire…the end…of all things…mortal." Metrion's eyes closed, but he did not faint, like Jorya. He just sat there, still upright, not moving. The two were silent…neither moved. Then, Lord Rythor came back to his senses and ran to the door, shouting, "I shall come back with help Galvion!" The king heard him run down the hall before the door closed. He turned back to Metrion, and saw something different than what he had been looking at before.

The man was no longer sitting up, but was rather lying down on the bed. His eyes were barely open, and he looked tired, but it seemed as if he was trying to keep them from closing. They were still glowing, but the light was not as intense as it had been before. He had lifted his arm off the bed, and he was pointing it at the king, as if he was reaching out to him. The king rushed over, knelt by him, and grasped his hand in both of his own. Then Metrion began to speak in a voice barely louder than a whisper.

"Your…Your highness," started the man, stopping to breathe as if he had run a mile. He was just acting so _different _from how he was a moment ago. It was scaring the king and he began panicking in his head. "Y-yes, Metrion?" he replied in a fearful voice.

"Ple…Please listen to my words…I'm afraid that…that they will be my last." The king's eyes widened and his grip on the man's hands tightened. "No! Metrion, you…you cannot die! I-" "Please let me finish," insisted the dying man. "I do not know what has happened to me and why I must leave this world so soon…but…" By now, he was panting very hard, and all the while the king was getting more and more frightened. "But…I do know that my cause of death is _not _natural. Someone…someone has interfered…and I fear that killing me is not the end of it…so your highness, I am warning you now…beware of what lies in the shadows, of what you cannot see…you must protect your people…you must. The prophecy Jorya made is true…what I have seen tonight confirms it…but-" Metrion stopped to make sure the king was still paying attention, for when he heard what he said about what lies in the shadows, Galvion had looked as if he was going to faint. Hearing the "but", the king looked back up at his face. Metrion tried to smile, but couldn't, and winced in pain instead. The king squeezed his hands even tighter as he continued.

"But I have not finished my prophecy. I see more in the future than what I have said, so listen, _please._ You are the only one here to hear my words, and they are important. So don't leave, don't faint, just…stay and listen." The king nodded, and sat down on the rug next to the bed, not letting go of his hand. Metrion closed his eyes for a minute, then opened them. Once again they were glowing with a fierce green light, but he did not look like he was in a trance. He was not looking at the king, but rather at the window, as if he was expecting something to appear there. Nothing did. He then turned his head to look at the door, and he began to speak, first a little quick, but then, as he went on, he got slower.

He repeated what he said a moment ago when Rythor was in the room. "The gem was born of evil's fire…the gem shall be his portal. He comes to claim, he comes to sire…the end of all things _mortal_." Then, instead of stopping, he continued on. "But when it seems that all is lost…and hope begins to fade…four heroes shall try, but shall fail…to heal the wounds he's made." The king listened intently, trying to remember all he said. "As a shock…the gem shall…reappear…with no faith in…what's light…but then a bird…shall dry her tears…and give her strength…to fight." He was getting slower and slower, and that just made the king worry even more. His heart was pounding so fast, he thought it would burst out of his chest. "The gem…shall stand…against him…and refuse to let him stay. _He_ will brag…_he _will curse…but _she _will not sway. Light shall clash…against…the dark…and fire shall be hurled…she will fight…she will endure…and give us back our world." After saying this, Metrion's hand lost life in the king's, and he let his arm drop on the bed. The prophet's eyes closed slowly, and Galvion knew that he was gone.

For a few minutes, he just sat there, on the floor, staring at the ground and not moving. So many thoughts were in his head, but the thing he focused on was the sudden death of the greatest prophet on Azarath. The realization that he was dead still hadn't hit his heart…he hadn't gotten over the shock. He didn't shed a tear, or scream in grief, but just sat there. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice the single bolt of lightning that came down from the sky and illuminated the land outside, and the creature that was hovering by the window. Thunder rumbled, and another flash of lightning came. It lit up the room for a second, and if he had been looking up, the king would've seen the horrible creature that had been outside his study presently in the corner of this room. It was standing there, folding its wings and staring at the king with its frightful red eyes. It was only when it snorted out steam and growled that the king knew it was there.

Galvion, suddenly realizing he wasn't alone, froze. He didn't dare look up, for he was afraid that he'd see that horrible winged beast. As he heard it stalk across the rug towards him, he finally forced himself to raise his head. His eyes widened and he stumbled to his feet, preparing to run towards the door. "Halt, mortal," it said in a deep, growling male voice. The king stopped, his foot still in the air where he was going to take a step. He slowly put it down as he turned to face the thing. It was six feet in front of him, standing between the fireplace and the foot of Metrion's bed.

"I presume you are the king of this land?" Galvion nodded quickly. "I don't care to tell you who _I _am…all you need to know is that I am a servant of Trigon, the great demon and one of the rulers of the Underworld. I am his messenger, or at least, I started out as his messenger. He sent me to find you, to give you a warning. You know that in the ancient days of this world, the people of Azarath united to defeat my lord and trap him in the Nether-Verse, correct?" Without waiting for a response, the messenger continued.

"He came to warn me that before, he was still raging with anger and once he had calmed down was willing to wait, to give you all time. But now he is getting restless. He does not desire to linger anymore in that place, and is planning to break out. He will gather his armies, the millions of creatures, devils, and beasts that would like nothing better to do than to serve him, and he will take back the world that was stolen from him. He knows how weak and pathetic the human race is, so he is giving you an opportunity to prepare yourselves…I believe in your time it is a hundred years? You'll have _that long _to put up something of a defense…but I doubt that it will be enough to get you through his attack."

At this point, the king was in complete shock. He was so…lost and confused that he felt he would be going insane soon if this all didn't stop. First, the death of Metrion who he had been the only one to witness, and now, this creature was telling him about the attack that _Trigon_, one of the four greatest evils, was planning on his _world_? He hadn't experienced this much shock and fear _ever before _in his life…he didn't know how he was going to deal with it all. Suddenly, the creature began to speak again, taking him out of his thoughts.

"So, human, that _was _what I had been told to do, but I'm afraid my master did _not _expect to find Metrion here…he hates him, and the gift he has to see into the future, one that he of such high power and might does not have. When I had arrived, and had heard the prophecy he spoke through the walls of your castle, I knew that this would ruin his plans. If what Metrion said is true, then everything my master worked _so hard _for would crumble in front of his face. You see, I can't have that…and fortunately for me, _you _are the only one to have heard the prophecy."

"B-b-but," stammered the king as he interrupted the messenger. "I…I wasn't the only one t-t-to have heard it…my-"

"What? That other pathetic human, Rythor?" interrupted the creature as he growled. "Heh…he only heard the _first _part of the prophecy…it won't hinder my master…in fact, I think that it will _benefit _him…that way, fear will spread among you all and create chaos, which will make it easier for my lord to _defeat _and _slay _you mortals." He smiled evilly, showing his sharp, white teeth. The king cringed, imagining what it must feel like to have those teeth run against his skin. "Oh, but _your highness_," said the creature as he stalked towards the king. "You _will _be able to experience the feeling of my teeth ripping you apart." The king's eyes widened as he stuttered, "H-h-how did you-"

"Know what you were thinking? Your highness, I possess the power to be able to read the minds of others…it is quite useful when I am on missions, when I want to know what people are _hiding _from me…or when they are _lying_." His smile grew even wider. "I assume you know why I am going to kill you? It's because of the fact that _you_, unfortunately, were the only one here to hear the rest of the prophecy besides me. That means _you _know how "the end" will end…and I cannot have that…I _absolutely _cannot have that, so your highness, _you must go_…" The creature drew its arms out to its side and spread its fingers as its sharp claws began to grow so they looked like daggers. "I'm sorry that things must end this way for you…" He was now a foot in front of the king, who, instead of running, stood frozen to the spot. "…But I serve Trigon the Terrible, lord of the Underworld…not King Galvion of the Western Corner of Azarath…so _I_ must do what's good for him…_not for you." _

And with that, the creature brought his head down and tore the king to pieces with his teeth and claws. Blood splattered the wall and floor of the room and the sound of crunching bone and squishing guts was heard as the creature devoured the king, not wasting a bit of his body. His long tongue licked his fingers and lips as he rose. Suddenly, the door banged open as the Lord Rythor and three strong men rushed into the room. Rythor's eyes darted from the bed with Metrion's dead body on it to the creature that stood in front of him. The three men around him panicked and hid behind the lord.

Rythor's eyes widened in fear, but as he looked down on the ground he saw the clothes of King Galvion, his best friend. Seeing the blood sprayed everywhere, including on the creature itself, he realized what had happened. Just as the beast was going to speak, Rythor, angry tears falling from his eyes, drew his sword and ran at the monster. The thing was strong, and made good use of his tail, whacking it at the man like a whip, but Rythor had exceptional skill with a blade, and in the end, he slayed the beast, cutting off its head. It fell on the floor with a thud, and rolled near the fireplace, where it started to smoke and suddenly disintegrated into a pile of black ashes. Its body staggered, and suddenly its right arm started to move forward, but Rythor immediately sliced it off. It too, fell and turned into ashes. Then the headless body swayed, until it fell backwards and hit the ground, _hard._ But instead of turning to ashes like its head and arm, it vanished in a cloud of black mist. The two piles of remains suddenly blew away by an unseen wind…and disappeared in thin air.

Rythor was breathing heavily, still trying to catch his breath after slaying the beast. One of three men in standing in the doorway had run to get help a while ago. Another just stood there, frozen with fear, his mouth hanging open and eyes wide, still unable to believe what he had just seen. The last man had come to the same conclusion as Lord Rythor about the blood and clothes, but now that the fight was over, he had rushed to the bed, checking to see if Metrion was still alive or if he was only asleep. Rythor, bending over the clothes that were thrown on the floor and grasping the dark blue velvet cloak in his hand, turned around when the man said "My lord, Metrion…he is…dead." More tears fell from his eyes as the lord stood and let the cloak fall to the ground.

"…Th-thank you, young man…if you will, please run up to the east tower and send a message to Lord Maeretar and Lady Emmadaea…tell them of the prophet's and the king's death." The man bowed and was about to leave when Rythor stopped him. "Wait! Please…please do not tell them about the…the creature you saw. It would be better if I told them in person." The man nodded and quickly left the room, dragging the other man with him.

Lord Rythor stood alone in the middle of the room…shocked, confused, angry, and hurt. Tonight was a terrible night…two people…two men that he cared for and admired had been _cruelly_ taken away from him. Never before had he seemed so lost…arriving here, he had been happy for he would be able to see his best friend once again…but he wouldn't have imagined that he would leave here knowing they'd never be with each other again. If this night had taught him anything, it was that you should always live while you can, cherish your loved ones and all that you have, for you'll never know when it will be taken away from you…_forever._ The lord sank to his knees and wept, for his friend and for himself. Outside, the rain began to fall, as if the angels looking down on him were shedding tears for his tragic soul.

**Somewhere else…**

In the shadows in another world, someone had a smile on, an evil, cruel smile as he watched what was happening on Azarath. He laughed with malice and began to speak in a low, frightening voice. "The end of the days of mortals is _near_…soon I shall be free of this prison, and when that happens, I shall put my plan into action and take back what was stolen from me…their world _shall be mine!" _Four huge red eyes glowed in the endless darkness, filled with rage and deceit…

**So…how was it? Good? Bad? Somewhere in between? Was it so _long _and _boring _that in the middle of it you fell asleep on the keyboard? Please tell me what you think, and I'll try to do better for the first chapter! So…you can go ahead and click on that lavender, err…whatever color button down there and REVIEW!**


	2. One: Buried Secrets

**Yay, I _finally _got this up…I think I've been working on it for more than a week already…but I'm just happy that I got it done! The next chapter should be shorter (I hope). This story might be really long…I don't know yet but it looks like it…I mean, Raven isn't even in it yet, it's supposed to be a teen titans fanfic! I guess it's just how I am…I love long stories! **

**Oh yeah, thank you to everyone who reviewed for the prologue! I didn't think I'd get _any _reviews at all…so I'm grateful!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans…or Raven…or anything about her that I didn't make up…I wish I did though. The show wouldn't be over if _I_ owned TT! **

Okay, here we go… 

The Caged Bird

Chapter One: Buried Secrets

**84 years after the Prophecy…**

"Arella!"

A thin young woman was running through green woods, shouting a name and looking around feverishly. She had short, shiny black hair and very pale skin. She had dark brown eyes and a beautiful face. The dress she had on looked strange…it was long and made of a material similar to cotton on Earth. Most of it was black, but there was a 4- inch sea foam green silk sash wrapped around her waist, the long ends hung loosely at her side. The part of the dress you could see below the sash split downthe middle in the front…underneath the black was a sea foam green skirt, the same color as the sash. The sleeves were long, and when they reached her elbows they flared out. At that point, the black material of the sleeves split in the middle in the inside of her forearms, like the bottom of the dress, and had the same colored material as the sash and skirt. The edges of the sleeves and the bottom of the skirt had a hand-cut look to it…the pattern was a wide, scallop one. The woman had a sea foam colored flower behind her ear, which kept her hair from falling in front of her face…she was worried and a bit mad at the moment, and she didn't want her hair getting in the way of what she could see.

"Arella!" shouted the lady again. "I _know_ you're out here…I've been to the rest of your little "hiding places", and you weren't there, so hurry up and come out! I want to talk to you!"

Only silence greeted her, but she wasn't going to give up. She knew her friend was here, and she was _determined _to find out what she was doing for the past few days, and _why_ she was even out here in the first place.

"Aaaaaaa-rell-a! C'mon already! I'm getting tired of looking for you…besides, I've hardly gotten the chance to hang out with you, let alone _talk _to you for days now. I mean _really_, what could be _so _important that you don't wanna fool around with your _best friend_?"

The woman continued searching, looking behind the tallest trees, and inspecting every cave, hole, and burrow she came across. She looked and looked, but still found nothing. Just when she was going to turn around and head back to the village, she heard something. It was the sound of rushing water, and it wasn't far away. 'The river!' thought the lady. 'She's _gotta _be down there!'

So she ran, well…at least she tried to with the energy she had left, but ended up walking instead to the long, noisy river. The ground was a bit high above the river, and if you looked at the woods from the other side of the water, you'd think someone had cut out a huge chunk of it, like cake. The lady knew that the side of the ground that looked cut was flat, kind of, so she needed to jump down if she wanted to see if her friend was hiding there. She walked to the edge and jumped down several feet, landing on the scattered dry leaves with a _crunch! _The woman turned her back on the river, and saw something that grabbed her attention.

It was a kind of burrow in the flat side of the ground…not deep enough to be a cave though. The hole was pretty wide and tall…it could pass for a bedroom in a small house. There she saw the person she'd been searching for the last 2 _hours_, sitting down and leaning her back on the side of the hole. She looked like she was…_muttering_ to herself. Curious, the lady crept forward, trying not to make a sound.

The lady in the hole looked to be the same age as the other lady, skinny, and _very _beautiful. She had long wavy black hair, and had a dress similar to her friend, but in the places where hers was sea foam green, hers was dark blue. This person's skin was pale also, but not as pale as the first woman.

She had her eyes closed, but it was hard to tell if she knew the lady was there or not. The lady with the green on her dress could see something in her hands…but she wasn't sure what it was. When she was only three feet away, she gasped. She _knew _what it was her friend was holding, and why she looked like she was talking to herself silently, but…but it was just _too shocking _and _unbelievable _to be true.

Making her presence known, she whispered the woman's name. "Ah…Arella?" Startled, Arella dropped the thing in her hands and opened her eyes. Looking up, she saw the face of her friend and it made her eyes widen in shock. "S-Seriya…uh, wh-what are you doing here?"

Seriya didn't answer right away. She knelt down by her friend and said in a voice so soft only Arella could hear it, "…Arella…that thing you were holding…pl-please don't tell me that…that it's--"

"A rosary?" finished Arella, looking at her hands instead of her companion's face. There was silence for a few minutes, Seriya had her head turned to the river next to the burrow…Arella continued to look down. Both didn't want to say anything, but they knew this couldn't be ignored. Seriya broke the silence and asked, "…_Why_, Arella? Why are you…why are you doing this?"

The other woman didn't speak…she didn't know _what_ to say. Seriya continued, "I've…I've been looking for you for hours, worried _sick _about you for the past few days…and I find you here, with those…those beads…_praying?_ And not to one of _our gods_, I'm sure…"

"Look!" Arella cut in suddenly. "This is _exactly _the reason I've had to _hide this_ from you…from everyone! I _knew _how you all would react…you'd _never _accept me, what I'm doing, what I _believe _in--"

"Arella!" shouted Seriya. "_Of course_ we'd be against it! This…what you're doing, it goes against all our laws, our rules…_everything _that we were taught since we were little! _You know _that it's forbidden to have _anything _to do with Christianity! We were told this all our lives…so…how could you do this?" Seriya looked up, sadness and confusion in her eyes…she was just so…_lost_ as to why her friend, her _best friend_ would betray their people in this way…it just didn't fit Arella to do something like this…no…not ever.

Arella had her back turned to Seriya…in the heat of the argument she had stood up, and now had her arms crossed and was looking out to the land beyond the woods…the great tall mountains on the borders of their land. There was longing in her eyes, but it was gone as soon as she turned around.

"Seriya…friend," began Arella. "I know you think what I'm doing is wrong, but…I _have _to do this. I have to follow what my heart is telling me…you know I always do." She took a few steps toward her. "This…believing in the Christian religion, I…I want to do this. When I see the travelers that come by our tribe, the _mortal_ ones...when I see them with their rosaries and religious books, it makes me want to join them. It makes me want to beg them to take me with them to their land, where I can be accepted and…and have _happiness_ without _fear_." Seriya looked like she wanted to interrupt, but Arella put a hand up, signaling her to let her continue.

"I love our tribe…our people…our home. But I've…I've just _always _had this feeling that I didn't belong with you all. Like I've never fit in, even though you guys have done nothing but shown me kindness and love. My heart just feels like…my home…my _true _home, is somewhere far away. And I _want _to find it, Seriya. I want to _leave _and search, and even if it takes me my entire life, I'm willing to sacrifice because in the end, it'll all be worth it." Arella looked up and was shocked at the emotion on her friend's face. Her head was bent to the ground, turned away from Arella, and there were tears, endless, endless tears cascading down her cheeks.

"Se-Seriya--"

"I…I knew it!" shouted Seriya angrily. "I knew they should've just…just _let _you go with those mortals! Even…even though we were so _kind_ to you and treated you as _one of us, _you _still _feel like you don't belong! What were they thinking! What were those _stupid elders_ thinking! How could you _ever _want to stay here! I…I-I just--" Her knees gave in, and she feel on the ground, sobbing and kneeling in front of Arella. Still in shock, Arella kneeled and held her best friend, trying to comfort her and make her stop crying. "Seriya…Seriya it's okay, just stop…stop crying, please…just please stop…"

She stayed there with her until the tears were gone. When that happened, the two just sat there, on the ground, watching the sky become red and orange as the sun set far, far away in the West. When the stars began to appear and Delsetor the moon came out, Arella grabbed her rosary and got up. She was going to walk back to the village when Seriya stopped her.

"Th-There's something I should…I should tell you. It's been kept a secret for _so long _now, I don't think it's right to hide it from you anymore…" Curious, Arella walked back into the burrow. Before she could sit, someone jumped down from above, shouting their names.

"Seriya! Arella! Where are--" the older woman stopped, as she turned and saw them in the hole. "Oh, there you guys are! I've been looking for you, it's late and everyone's worried. You missed the feast, but I managed to save some food for you if you're hun…gry." She stopped talking as she spotted what was in Arella's hand. The woman's eyes widened as she realized what it was. "Oh my…Arella, you're holding a…but its forbidden…and…oh this is just…uh…I…I have to tell the elders." She turned to climb back up to the higher ground when Seriya shouted, "Wait! Don't go! Y-You can't tell them and get Arella in trouble…please don't!" But it was too late…she was gone. They could hear her running, her feet crunching on the leaves.

"Arella…I…I'm so sorry--"

"Don't worry about it, Seriya", cut in Arella. "I…I've known that you'd all find out _someday_…today's just that day, I guess…" Seriya's head shot up.

"No! No they'll…they'll banish you for sure! I--"

"That's good then…it'll give me an excuse for…leaving." Even though her words made her sound happy, there was fear and a bit of sadness in her voice and on her face.

Seriya brought up the idea of Arella just running away, but Arella didn't want to…she'd just face the others…she didn't want to have any shame in being true to her heart. So they left the hole, climbed up, and started to walk back, slowly. But they had only gone a few feet before they saw something up ahead.

There were four or five women coming toward them. They all wore the same kind of dresses that the other two had on; they were the only things that their people wore. There was one woman who was ahead of the others. She was walking really fast toward them, and they could tell that she was _extremely angry_.

Once she was in front of them she brought her hand up and slapped Arella across the face. It was so strong and unexpected that it made her stumble and fall backwards onto the ground. Seriya gasped and hurried to her friend, who was touching the side of her face where the woman had slapped her. It was turning red.

The angry lady glared at Arella, and opened her mouth to speak. "…How _dare _you…how dare you do this…this _unbelievable _act, an act of treason an-and betrayal toward your _people! _Your own_ people! _Why would you even _consider_ doing something so…_disloyal_ and _wicked! _I…I'm ashamed of you, Arella! You--"

"Taelya, I…I know this is wrong…"

"Of course it is," muttered Taelya under her breath.

"But," continued Arella. "But…I have to do this. From the start, I knew that you'd all go against it…and I was _truly _afraid…but _something_ told me that I shouldn't quit on this. P-please understand…" Arella was starting to stutter as she saw the anger on Taelya's face. It was still present and looked as if it was getting _worse._

"…I-I need to listen to my heart, and it's telling me to keep going, despite the dangers. Despite the…anger and…h-hatred you might have for…" She trailed off, knowing that her explanation was doing no good for her. Taelya couldn't contain the rage that burned inside her any longer. She exploded.

"WHAT!" she roared. "Do you ACTUALLY THINK that I, or all the other elders will believe your 'listen to your heart' crap! OF COURSE NOT! No matter _what_ your heart is telling you, you have to ALWAYS do what's right for your people! What you _know _you have to do, not what you _want to do! _And it's GOOD that you're afraid…because now that we _know_ about this, you will sure to be BANISHED FROM THIS LAND!" A woman that looked older than her grabbed her arm, stopping her from saying anything more. Turning, she saw the elders behind her with grave, serious looks on their faces.

"That's enough, Taelya," said the woman holding her arm. "I believe you've said enough. _We_ would like to talk to young Arella now, if you do not mind."

"Of course not," answered Taelya as the woman let go of her arm. She stepped out of the way to the side, and had a "you're gonna get it now" look on her face.

During the bombardment of Taelya's _harsh _words, Arella did not show a single sign of being afraid…she'd expected this to happen, so she did not let it get to her. Seriya was actually the one who looked afraid, but it was for her friend, not for herself. 'Oh Arella' thought Seriya. 'I…I hope that the elders aren't too severe with you.'

The tallest and most beautiful out of the elders came forward. She was the queen and leader of their people. "Arella," began the woman. "Our shock was great when Fellamine ran intoour hutand told us what you had done. Obviously we are not pleased with you…and we _do _agree with Taelya about this _horrible _betrayal to us…to your _family_." She stopped, letting the person next to her continue.

"We are _witches_, Arella. You know the laws. Involvement in the Christian religion…it is a terrible thing to do. We are…well to say the least our disappointment in you is great, child. Very great." This made Arella bite her lip. Disappointing the elders…such a terrible thing…she felt so much shame in her heart, but knew that she would stick with what she believed in.

Another elder spoke. "You betrayed not only us, but our sister witches on Earth. The ones who were _brutally killed_ by the Christians there long ago…you know those people are not our friends…their hatred for us is what sparked our hatred for them. We did them no harm, but they still bring us pain. This is why we ignore them and their religion so, and you've known this, but you still chose to go against us."

The queen began to speak again. "Unlike what Taelya said, we _do _understand and believe in what you say about your heart, and though we are upset with you, we _admire_ you for your bravery to follow this," she pointed to her chest "Instead of this," she pointed to her head. "Now, we have already decided on your punishment." All there were looking at the queen, which included others from the tribe. They heard the news and had come out to see what was going on.

"We discussed it…and we have decided that since your intentions were good…you can stay." Many of the people sighed with relief. Seriya laughed and hugged Arella, who was smiling. "But…there is _one _condition." Her smile disappeared instantly. "…As leaders, we cannot allow something like this to continue…so Arella, to stay here with our tribe… you _must _give up your Christianity…it ties you to our enemies, and we _can't have that _my dear."

No one spoke. All were looking at Arella now, waiting to see what she would say. After a few moments of silence, she looked up at the face of the queen and said, "Your Highness, I am…happy that you have decided to let me stay. I'm glad that I can still live with my friends, my family…but…my happiness wouldn't be complete without my religion. I…I wouldn't be…uh…" She was having difficulty being heard, for when she said that she wanted to keep her religion, everyone started to talk and mutter to their neighbors. "QUIET!" yelled Taelya. "Let's see what the girl has to _say_."

Arella continued. "I wouldn't be living a true life…I love Christianity, and taking it away…I-I wouldn't be _complete_. So, thank you for being kind and letting me stay, but if I have to throw away my beliefs…it's not worth it, your highness." She bowed her head, afraid to look at the queen's face. Seriya was looking at her friend in complete shock. Everyone began chatting about it to each other. The elders motioned to them to stop, for the queen wanted to say something to Arella.

"…I see…so you really are dedicated to this?" The lady nodded. "…Well…I'm sorry but you cannot stay here if this is your decision. After all, it's _still _a punishment…so…I will give you a few days to leave--"

"Oh no, my lady," interrupted Arella. "I…I'll leave tonight. I…it wouldn't feel right if I lingered here…the sooner I'm gone, the…better…" The queen looked at her with kind eyes. She sighed, and spoke as Arella began to walk away.

"Child…you…you've never really felt like…like you _belong _with us, have you?" She froze, but did not look up. "I've…I've seen it in your _eyes, _Arella…in your actions…you smile and look happy, yes…but…there are moments when you stay alone, by yourself. Frequently, I've caught you looking out, _way _past the trees and hills in the woods to the land beyond the borders. I knew…I knew that you'd be like this when you got older…I just…I just didn't realize _how much _longing you would have to…to _leave _us."

Arella said nothing. The other witches and warlocks around them were silent…they _knew _what their queen was going to say…a secret they'd had to keep locked away for many years now. Seriya was tearing up again. She knew that even _if _the Christianity thing hadn't surfaced, her best friend would have to leave her…and it was positive that she wouldn't be coming back.

"Arella," started the queen in a soft, kind voice. "It's time we told you something…something we've kept a secret from you since you were little. It's important you know this because…" the queen sighed. "…I just…wouldn't feel right in letting you go without telling you this…so…please listen to what we have to say. Will you?"

Arella just stared at the queen, then said, "…Okay…fine."

The queen nodded, then spoke. "My dear…you've been having strong feelings to travel and get out of the North to…to a place where you can be…accepted. Where you can truly feel at home. Well…I know that there's reason for these…particular feelings." Arella looked at the queen curiously.

She sighed deeply. "I-I'm sorry, it's just that…we weren't going to tell you this until we thought you were ready…and I didn't really expect that day to come…so soon." She sighed again. "…Okay. Arella…everyone here…we aren't too astonished at your desire to leave because…well you…you aren't actually…a…a witch."

Her eyes widened in surprise, but Arella didn't speak a word. The queen took this as a sign to continue. "You are actually a human. You…you aren't even from this _planet_, child. The place you're from is called…Earth. It's very far from Azarath…I don't even think that we're in the same galaxy…but they do have humans there, so…" she trailed off, looking at Arella, who was looking down. Her eyes had a lost look to them; she wasn't sure if the woman was taking it all in yet.

She continued, "I remember the day 16 years ago…when we found you…"

(Flashback) 

It was a sunny day on Azarath. The sky was bright, and gentle winds blew frequently, keeping it cool. There were a few children in a grassy meadow, right outside a huge wood. They were playing, gathering flowers and chasing each other around. Suddenly, one of them tripped and fell on the ground. (Author's Note: Oh yeah, I forgot… the name of the queen is Narise…sorry about that)

"Rion!" yelled one of the girls as all the kids ran to the boy. "Oww…" complained the child as two boys helped him up. "What happened? What did you trip on?" asked a girl with black hair. "I-I'm not sure," answered the child. They all looked down at the ground and saw something strange. Being curious, they sat or knelt on the grass to inspect it.

"W-what is it?" said one boy.

"I dunno…maybe it's a puddle of rainbow water," suggested a girl.

"I don't think so…" said the girl with the braided hair as she looked away, thinking. "Hmm…"

No one said anything for a while…they were looking at the girl who was in thought. Suddenly the boy who'd fallen, Rion, asked, "Uh…Narise? Do you have an idea what it is?"

"I'm…I'm trying to remember something. My mother told me about something I should look out for, and she described it like how this thing looks, but…but I don't remember what it's called."

"Any guesses?" asked a girl with long hair.

"Um…I think it starts with a 'p'…uh…paddle? No…plate? Uh uh…p…p…pa…po…por…portal! That's it! It's a portal!" exclaimed Narise as she looked back at the thing in the ground.

"Ooo…a portal? What's that?" asked a boy.

"It's…it's a thing…a thing that, when you put yourself through it, like, if you stick your arm in it or your head or something, it'll take you to some other place," answered Narise.

"Coooooooool," said the rest of the children in unison.

"So…" began Rion. "…What should we do about it? Should we tell the adults?"

"No!" said the girl with long hair. "They'll just…they'll just tell us to wait in the huts while they go check it out! They won't let us leave…they'll take away the fun!"

"We should go in," said one boy. "Let's go see where it'll take us too!"

"Yeah!" said another girl. "What if there's something reeeeeeeaaaally cool on the other side, like an ocean, or dolls, or…or maybe…maybe there's TREASURE!"

The children gasped in awe at the thought of finding treasure. "D-do you really think that there's something like that on the other side of the portal?" asked Rion.

"I dunno," said the girl who suggested it. "Why don't we go look and see?"

"NO!" shouted Narise as the others began to talk excitedly. "We shouldn't do that! My mother…she warned me about portals. She said if I _ever _find one, I shouldn't just go in it…who _knows _what's on the other side? I mean, what if…what if it's…something _bad_?"

A few of the kids' eyes widened at that thought, but the other girl said "Hmph! You just _want _us to think that…then, when we're gone, you'll just _sneak back _here, go in, and then steal the treasure for _yourself_!"

Narise looked up in shock and anger as she shouted, "Why would I do THAT! I'm not saying this to get you guys out of the way, I just don't want anyone to get HURT! Stop being silly and let's just go back--"

"NO WAY!" said the other girl as she raised her foot above the portal. "If there's treasure there, then I'm gonna go and get it!"

"Wait, don't!" said Rion. "Narise's right…maybe…maybe we should just forget about it and leave…" The others nodded in agreement.

There was shock on the girl's face, but it disappeared and was replaced by an evil smirk. "Fine…you _wimps _can stay here if you want…but _I'm _gonna go through…and when I'm loaded with diamonds and gold, and you all are _begging_ to have some, I'll just ignore you since you had your chance but gave it up!" And with that, she stuck her foot in the portal. Automatically, it sucked her in…it was so fast that none of the other children could grab onto her.

There was silence as they all stared at the spot where the girl had been standing. Suddenly a boy said "…S-shouldn't we go after her? What if something bad happens, and…you know…"

"I don't know," said another girl. "Maybe we should just tell the adults…"

"Yeah, but what if there's really something awesome on the other side? All the older people will just take it for themselves, and they won't give any to us…and anyway, we were the ones who found the portal, not them," argued another boy.

"Well, I'm going in," said the girl with long hair. "I wanna make sure that she's okay…I don't wanna be blamed if she gets hurt or anything…" and before they could stop her, she stuck her arm through and was gone.

"…We should just go you guys," said Rion. "C'mon, if they need help, they'll only have each other…and besides, we might even find…_treasure_." Everyone else nodded and went in, except for Narise. She tried to make them wait, but they wouldn't. Soon she stood alone in the meadow, wondering what to do.

'I really shouldn't follow them,' she thought as she started to pace around. 'But…I _am_ worried about them…and what if…what if I don't get back here in time if I _do _get the adults' help? They could…they might…' she shuddered, thinking of their possible fate. '…Okay…I'll go…but…ohhhh, I hope I won't _regret _it.'

She walked over to the portal, staring at it with insecurity. To calm herself, she breathed in deeply, then closed her eyes, balled her hands into fists, and jumped into the portal.

It was like she was falling off a mountain…she could feel could air rushing past her, but she didn't dare to open her eyes. She kept going and going…it seemed like it would never end. Just when she was starting to get used to it, it stopped. She could feel solid ground under her feet, so she opened her tightly shut eyes. What she saw made her gasp.

She was…she was in a place she'd never seen before. It was definitely _not _on Azarath, so…She gasped, realizing that she was no longer home, she was…on a different planet! When she looked up at the sky, she confirmed her thoughts because she saw the color _blue_, not _purple_. Azarathian skies were purple, no matter where you were.

Narise looked around…she saw huge, tall buildings made of something that looked as hard as stone, but was _smoother_. The ground was hard and in some places was very dirty, rubbish laying around here and there. On the road next to the ground were…well, she wasn't exactly sure _what _they were. They were pretty big, and seemed to be made out of metal. They moved about on black wheels…tires, two on each side. Some had people in them, looking out the tiny windows. Speaking of people, there weren't many outside walking around…the ones she _could _see were dressed strangely…most had on formal looking clothing…like the suits that mortals wore to their parties…

'Oh!' said Narise as she came to another realization. 'These people…they must be humans! But…if weren't not on Azarath, the only other planet with humans on it was…Earth! Yes, that's where she was, Earth!' Looking ahead, she saw her friends gathered together in a group, talking to each other. She ran, joining them.

Seeing Narise there, the girl who had first entered said, "Well, well, well…look who it is. So Narise, what suddenly changed your mind to come along with us? What? Were you _jealous _that we'd be getting treasure and you wouldn't?"

"C'mon," cut in one boy. "Stop it…what you're saying doesn't matter, at least she's here…by the way Narise, do you have any idea where we are? We can't—"

"We're on Earth," said in Narise. "See, there are humans here…and it obvious we aren't on Azarath anymore, so--"

"Yeah, yeah," interrupted the other girl. "Okay, so now we know where we are, what about the treasure we want to get?"

Narise looked at her in disbelief. "W-what? How can you still be thinking about that? Look around you, do you _see _any treasure here? Even if there is and it's hidden, I don't wanna go looking for it. Lets just get back and tell the adults about the portal so they can close it up!"

"Hey! Why don't we go and explore this place?" suggested the straight-haired girl, putting aside what Narise had said about going back home. "After all, this may be the one chance that we'll be on Earth in our whole lives!"

"You're right!" said another boy. "We…we won't go looking for treasure, we might get hurt, but if we just stay together and _safely _look around, we should be okay…right?"

Everyone nodded, but turned to look at Narise. Seeing that all eyes were on her, she sighed and said, "Oh fine…I guess it's okay...so…I'll come with."

They all yelled "Yay!" and hurried together down the sidewalk.

(After a few hours of sightseeing, playing, and eating ice cream and popsicles)

"Wow, I'm tired," said Rion as they headed back to the portal.

"Yeah…I ate so much strawberry ice cream that…ugh, I can hardly walk!" complained the girl with long hair.

"Hey Narise, do you think we're close to the portal yet?" asked a boy.

"Hmm…yeah, we just have to cross that street and it should be in the alleyway of that building," answered the girl as they continued walking down.

Once they reached the particular building, they turned into the alleyway, but stopped, seeing something there. A huge basket was lying next to the portal and the corner of a pink blanket was lying over the edge of it.

"Uh…" started Rion. "…What's that basket doing there?"

Narise had already began to approach it, but slowly, just in case there was something…bad in it. When she was next to it, she kneeled beside it, and looked inside.

They waited for her to say something, but she didn't, so one boy ran over and looked over Narise. He gasped and yelled, "It's a baby, you guys! A baby gi--"

"Shut up!" yelled Narise. "You're going to wake her up! She's asleep!"

With wide eyes, the others hurried over, and sure enough, there was a baby girl in the basket. She was wrapped in a long pink blanket, and was soundly sleeping. There was no note, just the baby and the basket.

For a while, no one said anything; they just stared at the sleeping infant. One girl grew impatient and blurted out, "So what are we gonna do about it?"

As soon as she said that, the rest of the children stopped looking at the baby and looked at each other instead.

"Well," started Rion. "We can't just _leave _her here…I mean, if someone left her here, I reeeeeaaally don't think that they're gonna come back for her."

"You're right," said Narise, picking up the basket. "If we just go and no one comes for her, she might starve or--"

"Hold on!" interrupted a boy. "We can't just take a baby with us, especially a _human _baby. What will the adults think when we show her to them?"

"…That…that doesn't matter," answered Narise. "We shouldn't worry about that now…I mean…I mean, really, it wouldn't be nice if we left this poor baby all alone…c'mon think about it. You know what will happen if we do…"

Everyone agreed with her, but it took some time to convince the worried boy. When they all were satisfied with bringing the child with them, they lined up, the person in front holding the hand of the person in back of them, and then jumped into the portal. Narise went in by herself; she could hold the baby easier that way.

After the long, long fall ended, they found themselves in the meadow. Strangely, the sun hadn't set yet; in fact, it looked like not much time had passed, even though they had spent _hours _on Earth.

For a few minutes, the kids just stared at the basket. They knew that they had to tell the adults now…this couldn't wait.

"So…let's go back, guys," started Narise. "C'mon, we shouldn't get in trouble…"

"Hopefully," muttered one boy.

Slowly, they began to walk back to the tribe, and on their way the baby woke, smiling as she looked up into the face of the frightened yet determined girl who carried her with shaking hands.

(End flashback)

"We spoke to the woman who was the witch-queen at that time, and even though the other elders were against it, she let you stay with me and my family. We had to work a memory charm onto your mind, Arella, so…so you wouldn't be able to remember anything about us finding you on Earth, even though you were still young at the time." The queen finished and looked at Arella who hadn't said a word the whole time.

Many of the others around them left; they knew the young woman was more on the quiet side and didn't expect her to say much. Soon, the only people standing there were Arella, Seriya, the queen and the elders.

"Child," started the queen. "I'm--"

"Sorry?" finished Arella. "You…you don't have to be, your highness. I'm not…I'm not _mad _at you and everyone else for keeping this a secret. I know most people would be. It's just…it's just that…I'm…confused…you know? Confused because…I can't understand. No matter how much I think it through, I can't understand _why _you hid it from me. I wouldn't have been upset…I wouldn't have been angry…you…you all could've just told me…so…so why didn't you?" She looked from the queen to the elders to her best friend, a questioning look on her face.

Seriya bit her lip; she felt a sudden burst of anger, and held her tongue to keep herself from saying something cruel. Why? Why couldn't she understand it…the reason that they hit everything away…Wasn't it obvious? Wasn't it just…_so_ obvious?

"Arella," began the queen sadly. "I…I don't think me or the elders need to explain that to you…young Seriya here could easily do that if you ask her." With that the council of elders left, leaving the two young women all alone.

Arella started to say something but hesitated. She was afraid that if she asked it wouldn't end happily. Fortunately, she didn't have to; Seriya started to speak.

"…You…you can't see it, can you?" asked her friend in a voice barely above a whisper. Arella didn't answer.

"Why…can't you see it, when it's there…right in front of your face? The answer to your question…it's right there…right…_here_."

She said nothing…she didn't get what she was talking about.

"C'mon Arella! Look!" yelled Seriya. "I'm standing here, right in front of you…and you can't see it? Why do you think we didn't say anything, why…why do you think I sound so mad now? Why?"

"Se-Seriya, I--"

"It's because--" she stopped, turning to look away. "It's because we…we got _attached_ to you, Arella. We care for you, we look out for you, we…we love you. All of us, we were told that we would treat you as one of our own, like you were a witch. We've gotten _so used_ to having you with us, that we don't…we don't want you to leave…_I_ don't want you to leave." Tears began forming in her eyes again. Surprise fell on Arella's face as she said, "Oh my…Seriya--"

"If you knew about it, you'd…you'd go!" cut in Seriya. "You'd go…far, far away…and I'd never see you again. Everyday, it was so obvious you wanted to leave, I could see it on your face. But…you didn't. And I knew that if you found out about what you _really_ are, you wouldn't…you wouldn't hesitate to leave. You'd be…happy. I wanted to keep you here, with us…with me. I wasn't ready to let you go…no…I wasn't. I

just…I just I wanted you to stay and never…" She trailed off, her eyes widening in shock.

'I wanted her to stay,' thought Seriya. 'That's all I wanted, all I thought about…just me. _Me, me, me_…what about _her_? What about _her_ feelings, _her_ wants, _her_ needs? Don't they matter, too? I…'

"I'm horrible, aren't I?" said Seriya in a shaky voice. Her head was bowed, the weight of shame on her neck. Arella just looked at her in surprise. "Seriya, you're not…h-how did this just come up--"

"I'm so selfish," continued the woman. "I could only think of myself. I _knew _what you wanted, what you desired with all your heart…but I kept it from you. I…I'm…_so cruel_!"

She collapsed onto the ground, in front of her friend, for the second time today. The two stayed like that for a while before Arella slowly dropped beside her, put her arm around her shoulders and muttered, "Get up."

Seriya stopped crying and looked at her. "W-wha--"

"Get up Seriya…come on. I don't…I don't want to see you cry anymore…_please_…."

She did as she asked, wiping away the tears that were on her face. When she was calm again, Arella started to talk, in a soothing, comforting voice.

"Seriya…I…I know how much you care about me…I do. You're my best friend, and no one could _ever_ take your place. I don't…I don't think you're cruel and selfish, because you aren't, really. I don't blame you for wanting me to stay here…I'd probably feel the same way if I was in your shoes. But…"

She stopped and looked up to the sky, where the stars were twinkling and the moon was shining. "…But you have to understand that I want to leave. I know there's a place out there where I'll truly feel at home…so…you have to let me go. You have to let me fly up and into the sky, away from here…but don't think I won't come back, because…I will. I'll visit this place whenever I can. Know that…know that I love you all so much, and I'll remember you 'till I die…there will be a place for you in my heart, and it'll stay there forever. I _will_ remember you…just…just promise that _you_ will remember _me_."

Seriya looked up, smiling and said, "O-of course I will…I always will, Arella. But can you promise me something too?"

"…Sure, anything."

"Promise…promise me that no matter where you go, no matter what you do, we'll be together…okay?"

Arella smiled back and said, "Don't worry…there's no place I can go where we won't be…we'll be together…_always_."

The two hugged and just sat on the ground, enjoying the time that they had together before Arella would leave. Despite what she said, Arella _wouldn't _see Seriya and her witch tribe again…because when she journeyed to the other places on Azarath, she'd get caught up in things she never _dreamed _were possible…things of magic, of mystery…and of _danger_.

**Okay…wow…that was long, wasn't it? Well the first few chapters _might_ be like this so…be prepared! Oh yeah, I'm gonna start school again soon, so I might be even _slower _at updating…sigh. Oh well…anyway, please review…tell me what you think…I don't even mind if you tell me it's too long, really, I just want reviews! Please give me reviews, I neeeeeeeeeed them!**


	3. Two: A Tragic Mistake

**Here's chapter 2! I'm so sorry that I took a really long time to update…it's just that I've been…well, kinda busy with school. Plus, I was having a hard time writing this chapter…when I had this story planned, beginning to end, I looked at it all in my head and asked myself "What chapter will be the hardest to write?" This is the one. I just had to find a way to make the event in this chapter…uh, good, and not…sucky. It was very difficult, and I'm still not happy with how it came out…waaaaaaaaah. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own it…plain and simple.**

**Oh, thanks to the people who've reviewed so far!**

**Now, the story continues…**

The Caged Bird

Chapter Two: A Tragic Mistake

**The Underworld**

"…You know what he must do."

A pale woman said this as she sat on her cold stone throne, hardly moving. She wore a long, black dress with sleeves that touched the ground. Her wavy dark hair was even longer, flowing over the back and sides of the throne and stretching out on the ground for a couple of yards. She had a black silk sash tied over her eyes, which, along with the dark shadows of the place, made her seem extremely creepy. Her curvy, thin figure gave her the impression of being young, but her hoarse voice made her sound old and weak.

"It may seem foolish now, but wait and see…what I am suggesting will make things much easier for him…" continued the woman.

'Hmph. Suggesting my _ass_,' thought the man who stood a few feet in front of her. He was a very handsome person, but there was an evil glint in his black eyes that made him seem like he was up to something. The man wore a crimson leather suit and formal shoes in the same color. He had short red hair that hung loosely around his pale face. The guy was annoyed and angry at the moment, and it was taking all he had to keep himself from knocking the lady out. 'She hasn't been suggesting…it's more like _insisting! _The woman won't have anything but what she wants and likes…no other ideas will do except _hers_!'

"…I see how he will easily benefit from this _idea _of yours," started the man while glaring at her. "But it will not be easy to accomplish…for starters, Trigon is trapped in the Nether-Verse. How do you expect him to escape and go to Azarath?"

The woman, though blinded, stared directly at the man and cocked her head to the side. This just made her more freaky than she already was.

"Heh…it is a simple matter," started the lady. "I am not only a seer, but a dark sorceress as well. With my magic, I can help to create a temporary portal that will take him out of his prison for a few days. That should be enough time for him to find the woman and plant his seed within her."

His eyes narrowed at the mention of her plan. Having a child with a mortal? He just couldn't believe that she would think someone as powerful and mighty as Trigon would do something like that. But…

"I know what you are thinking, Hades. But no matter how much you dislike it, you know I am right. This child, it shall be the one named in the prophecy, correct?" She smirked, knowing that he was angry that she won.

"…Yes. The child of Metrion's prophecy. The _gem_." Hades averted his eyes to the ground. He was still disgusted with the thought of a half-blood child. Trigon was well respected and feared, even in this world, but he was willing to do it when Hades told him of the idea. It was as if he was the only one who disagreed with it.

"You know how to contact me, yes? When Trigon is ready, send me a message, and I shall open the portal. But remind him that when he goes through, he only has a limited amount of time in that world. He must not linger, for the magic that binds him to the Nether-Verse is strong and things won't be good if he doesn't return in time."

Hades nodded, turned on his heel and walked out of the sorceress's lair. 'If this _does _work,' he thought as black bat-like wings sprouted out of his back. 'Those mortals won't even see it coming…and Trigon will easily take their world…'

**Azarath**

"Yes…I made it!"

A very tired and worn out Arella wandered into a small town in the West of Azarath. It had taken her _days _to find a place to rest. Like all witches, she had a broom, and she had used it to fly across the sky, searching for any place of comfort. When she needed to sleep or eat, she had landed on the ground and had to live off the land. Lucky for her she was used to the wilderness, having to survive there with her tribe. 'Speaking of food, I'm starving,' thought Arella as she looked around. 'I haven't eaten anything for a while since I passed the forests.'

As she checked out the houses and buildings that lined the road, she got more and more confused. 'I wonder why there's no one outside. And it's strange that none of the buildings have any windows…hmm…'

She turned into an alleyway and came out to a smaller street where the houses were smaller. Still no one around. It was also unusually quiet…she couldn't even hear a single bird tweeting in the trees. As she turned to get back to the main road, she felt a hand grip her shoulder. Spinning around, she came face to face with a young man about her age. He was tall and good-looking. A guy that any girl would _die_ for. He had messy chestnut brown hair and eyes and a good, fit, muscular body. His clothes were common, nothing special, just comfortable attire.

"You look lost young miss," said the man as he looked down at her. "Did you just move here?"

"Oh…uh, no, I'm just…passing by," Arella said, suddenly feeling shy.

"Ah, I see…well, if I could be of some assistance to you, just say what you need and I'll try to be helpful. My name is Galen." He stuck out his hand.

"A-Arella," she answered a bit shakily as they shook hands.

"Hmm…well it fits, doesn't it? A _beautiful _name for a _beautiful _lady." She blushed as he smiled warmly. Before either could say another word, the clouds rumbled and it started to rain on them.

"Oh no," muttered Galen. "The weather here has been awful this past week. I keep wondering when it will _ever _lighten up."

As it got worse, the two hurried under the roof of a nearby house. They stood there, watching the sky, waiting for it to stop, but it just kept going…and going…and going. It was like never ending rain.

"This kind of weather makes you want to stay indoors…speaking of which, Arella, I'm hoping you have somewhere to stay for a while…I'm expecting that the sun won't return for at least a few days."

Arella's eyes widened and she looked away. 'That's right,' she thought. 'I don't have a place to stay! How in the world am I going to find one? I mean, there's no one around here except for Mr. Handsome, but…I couldn't _possibly _ask to stay at his place...'

"…Arella?" Galen was still waiting for an answer. Seeing how uneasy she was, he said, "Ohhh…I'm guessing that you _don't _have somewhere to go to, huh? Well, if you'd like, you could stay with me."

"Oh…" she answered. "…Uh, no that's okay, you don't have to…I mean, I wouldn't want to be troublesome…"

He laughed. "It's no trouble at all! Really, I don't mind…my house isn't _that _big, but it's good enough to keep the rain out."

Arella still didn't want to…she just couldn't do that. Sure, he was _nice, _but she just met him…all she knew about him was his name. Besides, she didn't want to have to bother him with staying there…it would be too much trouble.

"Please, stay, I insist. I really don't mind having a guest…actually I have been pretty lonely for a while. Since my sister left, I've been living by myself…I really could use the company."

She thought it over for a few more minutes before she gave in. "…Okay, you win…but it's just for a few days--"

"Excellent! Come on, we should go, I don't think this rain will ever stop!" He grabbed her wrist, and before she could protest, he was running down the road, dragging her along with him.

TT

After rushing down a few roads and taking some sharp turns, they got to Galen's house. As he said, it wasn't that big. It was the size of a cottage, and, unlike the buildings surrounding it, it had windows. Galen opened the door and invited her in. Arella stepped inside and looked around.

She wasn't exactly sure what the walls and floors were made out of…something she probably had never seen before. There were 5 rooms, which consisted of a small kitchen, a bathroom, two small bedrooms, and a small den. She saw things like chairs and tables, but there were some pieces of furniture she _didn't _recognize. For example, in the kitchen, she saw a strange device…it looked like it was made out of metal, with a small curved piece in the middle and one knob on each side of it. There was a deep space inside it and on the bottom surface of it was a drain.

Galen walked in after her and shut the door. When he saw her looking around like a curious child, he said, "…I'm guessing you're not from around here, are you?"

"Yes…I'm human, but…I've never been in these lands before…"

He looked at her with interest. "Please…sit. Are you hungry? Thirsty?"

As if on cue, her stomach growled, reminding her of how hungry she'd been when she got here. He chuckled and said, "I'll take that as a yes…sit, I'll be right back."

A bit embarrassed, Arella sat down in a chair near the fireplace. She could still hear the rain outside pounding down on the roof. She looked up at a window, watching the water run down, making tiny rivers that flowed along on the glass. Ever since she was little, she always loved to lie down in her hut at night, gripping her warm blankets and listening to the rain outside. It made her feel peaceful and calm…and eventually helped her to fall asleep. She found herself almost closing her eyes when Galen returned.

He put down a steaming mug and a plate of food on the table in front of her. "You must be tired…maybe you should just sleep--"

"Oh no…I'll eat…you bothered to make this for me, it would be a shame to let it go to waste." He smiled at her and sat down in a chair on the other side of the corner fireplace.

Arella sat up and looked at what he had made her. There was hot tea in the mug…she loved tea, and seeing it made her happy. She didn't know what the food was though. 'It must be some kind of human food…I wonder if it's good?' Picking up her fork, she cut a piece and slowly put it in her mouth. It was better than good, _way_ better, and tasted just like chicken.

"So…do you like it?" He looked nervous, and it made her smile.

"Yes…it's delicious, thank you so much!"

He looked relieved, and smiled back. "It's no problem…I love to cook."

She ate quickly, her stomach was so hungry and the food was so yummy that she didn't stop 'till it was all gone. When she had finished, Galen took the dishes to the kitchen. Arella heard the sound of running water. Curious, she stood and peered inside. What she saw surprised her.

'There's water coming out of that curved piece of metal!' She stood there watching him as he washed the plate and mugged she'd used. When he turned off the water and turned around, he saw her looking at him in awe.

"What is…" he trailed off as he realized she was probably surprised about the sink. "Oh yeah…you don't know what that is, right?" She nodded. "Well, it's called a sink…you can get water easily from it, and--"

"Yes, but where does it come from?"

"…Where does _what_ come from?"

"The water!"

"Oh…well…there's a reservoir a few miles from here…it's a kind of tank that holds water," he answered quickly before she could ask. "There are pipes that run from it to the places where we get water from, like this sink."

"Oh…wow…" It was quiet before the two laughed and sat down.

"So…" started Galen. "I'm curious to know where you're from…if I can recall, you said that you were human…yet you seem so…"

"Uninformed? Oblivious to things humans should already know about?" she finished for him.

He nodded as she said, "Well, it's a long story--"

"I'll listen." He cut in before she could decide not to tell him.

"…Okay." Arella told him all about herself…and what she had learned on her last day with her witch tribe. By the end of it, Galen was pretty shocked.

"Whoa…that must've been horrible for you."

"It was…" she looked down at her hands. There was a bit of an awkward silence before Galen said, "So…now that I know a little something about you, why don't I tell you something about me?"

Arella looked up, and then nodded. "Okay…well, I was born and raised in this town. I've never been to any of the huge cities; I prefer a quiet, peaceful life. Like you, I've never met my parents…my aunt took care of my sister and I till she died. Then my sister had that job, but then left to earn more money in the city when I became old enough to take care of myself. Since then, it's been…well, pretty _lonely _around here…I guess I'm just glad to have some company."

He smiled, and she smiled back at him. For the rest of the night, they just sat there together, talking and laughing, happy that they had found a new friend.

TT

As the sun's warm morning light filled the small bedroom, Arella sat up in bed, stretching and yawning. This was her eighth day staying at Galen's house. The past week had been wonderful…the only times she had ever talked so much were with Seriya. Her eyes saddened as she remembered her best friend and how miserable she had been to let her go. For a minute the young woman sat there, sadness and depression filling her mind. Suddenly, the door to the room flew open.

"Goooooood morning, Arella! Did you sleep well during the night?" Galen had a huge, joyful smile on his face as he walked in and stood on the right side of her bed.

Seeing his smile cheered her up, and she pushed the dreary thoughts out of her head. "I did sleep well…and I feel so good and well-rested!"

"I'm glad to hear that! So, I cooked breakfast already…while you slept I went to the market to buy some fresh fruits…c'mon, before the food gets cold!" And before she knew it, Galen had grabbed her arm and pulled her out of bed. Quickly he led her out of the room, one hand still grasping her arm, and the other pushing slightly on her back, urging her to hurry.

As they sat down at the small dining table, Arella glanced at the food. It looked delicious, especially the fruit. Azarathian fruits are very exotic looking, and have tastes so unique yet so mouth-watering. The two dug in right away but talked to each other at the same time.

Arella had many questions on her mind about humans…when she was a little girl in her witch tribe, she hadn't learned much about them…she only knew what her teachers had taught her, which all had to do with how cruel and evil they are. "Men are horrible beings," she recalled her teacher telling them. "Out of every single creature in this universe, they are the ones most tainted with Hell's evil. Their souls are so unclean…they're dirty with the filth of the Seven Deadly Sins. Greed, envy, lust…you can find traces of them all in every single human…that is why the goddess Nala frowns on them from up above. Children, for your own safety, it would be best if you just avoid mortals…they have brought our people so much pain in the past, and sadly they continue to do so today."

Such _cruel_ words…when it came to choosing sides and deciding who was right, Arella always gave both sides a chance. She wanted to believe that her teacher's words were wrong since she now knew that she herself was a mortal. So she had questions that she wanted to ask Galen…questions she hoped would be answered.

Right before she opened her mouth to say something, her companion began to talk. "…It's so quiet outside. I can hear all the birds chirping in the trees."

'…Now that he mentions it, it _is _strangely quiet outside,' thought Arella.

As Galen began to take a sip of some juice, she blurted out, "Why does it always seem like there's no one else living here?"

The young man's eyes widened as he choked and started coughing. "Galen!" Arella shot out of her chair, grabbed a glass of water, and hurried over to his side.

Muttering a "thanks", he took the glass and drank a lot of the water. He calmed himself as Arella sat back down. Then there was silence…an awkward one for the girl because she felt like she had made him uncomfortable with her question.

"Uh…you could just pretend like I didn't ask that question…it's…not that important, anyway." She looked down at her hands in her lap.

Galen didn't answer…for the rest of the day and the others that followed he was silent, only talking to her when he needed to. Arella felt completely miserable with herself.

'Stupid, stupid, stupid…why did you have to say that? Look at what you did now! What if he decides never to talk to you anymore?' She was scolding herself in her mind as she got into bed that night. She sighed. 'This…is horrible. Well, its all my fault…God, I am such an idiot for saying that to him!'

The young woman was so down and depressed…she was just so upset that she had asked that question, a question that obviously hurt him to hear. Strangely, Arella wouldn't usually act _this _disheartened if she'd done something to make someone feel upset. Sure, she'd feel ashamed, but she'd try to work it out with the person, and then in the end everything would be fine. But with Galen…it was different.

Whenever she saw him, she just felt so happy and light that she could float like a cloud. She'd always blush a little when he'd grab her hand or her arm…and whenever he'd compliment her or do something kind for her, she'd feel extremely giddy. The thing that got to her the most was his smile…especially when he was smiling because of _her_. That smile…that beautiful, handsome smile…seeing it just made her feel like melting on the spot. All these things…these feelings…these emotions…though they confused her…she _liked_ them. No, better yet, she _loved_ having them.

Huh…that word…that one word, one emotion, one experience that could make a person feel extremely happy or extremely sad…love. Is…is that what she was feeling right now? Is that what she felt about Galen…that she wanted to be more than "just friends"? Or was it only a silly little crush that young girls get when they see a good-looking boy? Well, whatever it was, the feelings she had for him were valuable to her, and when she asked that question, it made those feelings vulnerable to being taken away from her. Arella didn't want that to happen…no. She wanted to keep them…she wanted to stay like this, to feel like this forever! She couldn't afford to lose those feelings…she couldn't afford to lose…him.

'I want to stay here with him,' thought Arella as she lay on her side, staring at her reflection in the vanity. '…But…what if he doesn't feel the same way? What if he just thinks that I'm…a nuisance? An extra person to take care of? Maybe he's ignoring me, not only because of the question, but…because he just doesn't _want _me around anymore…maybe he realized that I'm not _worth _his time, that I'm nothing _special_. I shouldn't…have to force him to live with someone he doesn't want in his house. I shouldn't…have to force him…to endure my feelings. If it makes him uncomfortable, then…it should stop. Just stop. Yes, my feelings _are_ valuable…but… his mean _so much more…_'

TT

With bags packed and broom in hand, Arella slowly opened the door to the bedroom. She had woken up early the next morning so she could leave before Galen was awake. It was silent in the rest of the house. 'Maybe he just…doesn't snore,' thought Arella to herself.

Quietly, she tiptoed to the front door. 'So far…so good.' When she was halfway past the den, she stumbled a little from trying to make no sound. Unfortunately, that made her drop her broom, and it fell, making a noise that could wake up _anyone_. She winced. 'Ugh…why did I do that? Why? Now there's no _way _that he's still asleep.'

She quickly bent down to pick her broom off the floor. As she got up, she felt someone grab her right wrist. She froze…somehow, she was too nervous to turn around.

"Arella…" Her body twitched as he said her name with a hurt and sad voice. "You're…leaving." She slowly lowered her gaze to the floor ready to hear whatever he had to say to her.

"It's…probably my fault that…you've made this decision," started Galen. "But…even if it _isn't_…I just…I…don't go Arella, please. I don't…want you to…leave me."

Arella's eyes widened as she heard his words…the words she wanted to hear _so badly_, but was afraid he'd never say. 'He…he doesn't want me to leave!' So many thoughts were speeding through her head that it was starting to make her feel dizzy.

"I-I know I've been…so horrible to you over the past few days, and I am truly sorry for that. It's just that…that question you asked me, about the absence of…well, of _life_ in this town, it caught me off guard. Let's…let's just say that it's a subject that _bothers_ me to talk about…" Arella continued to listen, but still with her back turned to him.

Galen took a breath…a deep, gathering-my-bravery breath. "I have…something to tell you. I'm…not sure if this will convince you to stay, but…even if it doesn't, I _have _to say this…I have to tell you…how I…really feel about you."

Arella's eyes went as wide as dinner plates. 'Did he just…oh my God! He said he's gonna…tell me how he feels! What if he…what if he feels…the same way? What if he…likes me too?'

Not letting go of her wrist, Galen raised his other hand, grasped her shoulder, and spun her around, making her face him. The girl couldn't bear to look him in the eyes, so she brought her stare to the ground. "…Arella…I know that…we haven't really known each other for too long yet…but…since that day I met you, that day that I saw your face for the first time, I…I've become…_captivated."_

She looked up at him, right at his face, wonder shining in her eyes. "I've become captivated by you. Your beauty…your mind…your soul. I'm just…mesmerized at how…wonderful you are. And…" Here he moved his hand from her wrist to her hand, caressing it with his touch. "And I want…I just want to keep you here, here with _me_. I…wouldn't be able to _stand_ it if you were with anyone else. So please, Arella, don't go. Don't…" He stopped as she raised her left hand and placed a finger on his lips, silencing him.

"It's my turn to talk now," she whispered. It was at this moment that she realized how close they were…their bodies were inches from each other, and he was still holding her hand in his. Pushing this thought aside, she continued.

"Galen, I…I wasn't leaving because I was mad at you for ignoring me. I…I could _never_ be mad at you. It's just that…I thought that…_you_ were mad at _me_." The man looked at her in disbelief. "A-Arella, I wasn't--"

She gave him a look that shut him up. "Let me finish. I thought that you…didn't want me around anymore…that you were fed up with having to…live with me. So…that's why I left. But now…now that I heard what you said…I…I just…I'm so _happy, _Galen. I'm happy you feel the way that…I feel about you—mmph!"

She was caught off guard as he crashed his lips onto hers, his hands moving to bury themselves into her hair, the force causing their bodies to collide. The shock soon melted into desire as she kissed back, her hands snaking around his neck.

Seconds felt like hours as they broke apart, trying hard to get their breath back. For a moment, they just stood there staring into each other's eyes…neither spoke a word, not a sound was heard in the whole house…

…until Galen cracked a grin on his face. Arella grinned too and slowly laughter escaped from them, resonating off the walls. Happiness, pure happiness was on their faces as the two embraced. They stood there, holding each other and smiling, Arella with tears in her eyes.

Galen pulled away and looked down at her with caring eyes. He didn't have to say a word; she already knew what he was thinking. Slowly, he grabbed her hand and led the two of them to his bedroom…

TT

Arella slowly opened her eyes. It was night…the room was dark and empty. Outside the stars shone brightly…the moon was barely visible behind the clouds. Turning over to her side, she saw that Galen wasn't there lying next to her. Confusion spread on her face. "Where is he?" she thought as she sat up, wrapping the sheets around her.

"Arella." She turned around and saw him standing there in the doorway. The man was wearing nothing but black. A serious look was on his face, but…but there was something else. She saw something in his eyes that made him look different…and the more she stared at them, the more she began to grow nervous and…afraid.

"I have something to tell you, Arella…" He started toward her, and with every step she backed away from him an inch or so. When he was standing next to the bed, he stopped. She was sitting there across from him at the other end, staring at him with fear.

"G-Galen? What's…what's going--"

"What's going on?" He smirked down at her, an evil, cruel smirk. "Well…there has been a trap set here, Arella. And sadly, you _fell for it_. You see…I never intended on staying here with you…no. I mean," He laughed, a cold, heartless laugh. "Who in the world would _ever _want to love someone like _you?_ I knew about you, my dear…I knew how _weak _and _helpless _you were after you left those witches…and I thought to myself 'How perfect is this worthless, pathetic mortal for my plan?' So you see, this whole time…" He stared down at her, his eyes glowing red as two more grew above them. "…I was just using you to get _what I wanted_."

Slowly, his skin turned the color of raw beef, and his hair changed from chestnut brown to snowy white. It grew, longer and longer as she saw a chakra appear on his forehead. The black clothes ripped apart, as a loincloth replaced them. Sharp claws and white fangs grew. Her surroundings changed from the small bedroom to a dark, shadowed, place…and he grew…taller and bigger until she fell backwards on her rear, staring up at him with horror. She knew who this was. "Galen" never existed…there was never such a person. The creature that stood before her was none other that Trigon the Terrible, the horrible demon from Hell famous for his cruelty and destruction.

He looked down at her, an evil smile on his face. Now she realized what had happened…why he had used her. He needed a person…a woman. A woman to plant his seed in…a woman that would give birth to his portal. Now she knew…this mistake that she had made…a tragic mistake that would lead to the end of the world…

She screamed in pain as she felt the seed in her grow. Trigon laughed mercilessly as the darkness disappeared, leaving her sitting there in middle of a grassy field…the place where the make believe town had been set up. Arella was alone…all alone…no one there to help her…no one there to save her from this horrible fate…

**Okay, so…yeah. I know that it sucked. Well, _I_ think it did…I was just having a hard time putting what I wanted here in words, but I did my best so I hope that it at least entertained you. So now…tell me what you thought, please! I need a review from you, please! Please, please, please, please, pleeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaase!**


	4. Three: It Begins Part I

**I…am…so…sorry…for taking so long! I _thought _I'd get this up faster, but…I underestimated how much work my teachers would give me! Plus, this wasn't the only thing I've been writing…I've had to write some short stories for English…they drained my writing energy! (lol)**

**Hmm…oh yeah! Mahalo to feathergriffin, jenn120, evilsangel, and…Theo (…? lol, you're so weird) for writing reviews for Chapter 2! And a very special THANK YOU to jenn120 and evilsangel…you two spent your time reviewing for every chapter so far! That made me so happy:D**

**Disclaimer: You know what I'm gonna say. I don't own it…period.**

**I don't really have much else to say, so…**

The Caged Bird

Chapter Three: It Begins Part I

"This storm is terrible!"

It was late at night on Azarath, and a terrible storm was ravaging the western part of the planet. Strong winds and heavy rain were making it hard for a particular group of travelers to see the road in front of them, and the fact that huge clouds were covering any light from the sky made it worse.

The group was walking slowly along with one of them sitting in front of their carriage holding the reins of the horses that pulled it. They had journeyed all the way to the West two weeks ago…they had to do to some very important errands. The carriage was full of the stuff they had been sent to get, so unfortunately, they had to walk.

"Oh…why did the weather have to be like this tonight? It was fine when we left…the sky was beautiful! But now look at what it has become! And it all happened at the point in our trip where we knew we couldn't turn back! There isn't a town for miles…what are we going to do?"

Out of all four walking, the shortest one said this. She had been complaining since the rain started pouring down, and one of her companions was getting _really_ irritated from listening to her.

"…Rhea," he said in a warning tone. "If you don't shut up and stop complaining, I swear I will--"

"Calm down, Hayden," said another. "Besides, you shouldn't be the one talking about 'complaining', you're doing it yourself…"

Hayden glared at him. Ezra, the one being glared at, was paying no attention to him. He was a few years older than Hayden, who was sixteen, so he was more mature. Rhea, the girl who'd been complaining, continued to moan and whine about how "sucky" the weather was and when they'd be able to take a break from walking.

When she'd asked "Can we stop _now?_" for the twentieth time, the last of the four, Rhea's older sister and the leader of the group, said "…Yes…we can! Look up ahead, I think I see something!"

The other three automatically hurried over to where she stood and looked at where she was pointing. "Is that a cave?" asked Hayden, trying to see through the rain.

"I think it is," said Ezra. "Rhea, do you…huh? Where'd she…go…" Looking ahead, the three saw her running as fast as she could towards the only sign of shelter they'd seen since they started traveling. They looked at each other and followed after Rhea, the carriage pulling along behind them.

TT

"Yes…finally! Now I can rest my feet...ugh, they're so sore!" Hayden hurried to the entrance of the cave, where he could see Rhea standing. Ezra and their leader, Delya, were right behind him. As soon as they got out of the rain, they took down the hoods of the traveling cloaks they'd been wearing. They were magic cloaks used by many on Azarath…they lasted long and were hard to destroy. Thankfully, they were able to repel the rain so they and their cloaks didn't get wet.

Hayden and Rhea had collapsed next to the wall of the cave, which was very large. Ezra was about to do the same when Delya grabbed his arm. He turned to her. "What is it?"

She said nothing. She was looking at the back of the cave, or at least, where he thought it was. The cave was so large that he couldn't see it…it was just darkness. Ezra was about to repeat his question when Delya said, "Shhhh…listen." So he did.

He could hear something…it sounded like…sniffling. A woman…crying? He looked at Delya, who was walking towards the darkness of the cave. "Wait," he said as he quickly went to the carriage. He asked the old man who had held the reigns of the horse pulling it to get something in the bags. After a while, Ezra returned inside, holding a burning candle.

He handed it to Delya. She took it, and once again slowly approached the back of the cave. After a while, she stopped. Ezra peered ahead, trying to look past her, and gasped. There, on the ground, sitting in front of Delya's feet, was a woman. A _pregnant_ woman.

Ezra crept up behind Delya and stared at her. She had long, unkempt dark hair, pale skin, and amethyst eyes. She had on a plain, tan dress, big enough for her huge belly. Traces of tears were on her face. Her eyes were beautiful but…were so sad. Just looking at them made him want to cry himself. The woman was looking at the ground, depressed. He wasn't sure if she didn't know they were there or if she was choosing to ignore them, but his question was answered when she spoke.

"…Who…are you? What…what do you want?"

Her voice was so tired…it sounded like she had traveled for days without rest. Delya answered, "…My name is Delya. This is Ezra," she gestured to him. "We and a few others came across this cave while we were traveling in that storm. It was the only place of shelter we'd seen for hours--"

The other woman put her hand up silencing Delya. "…I…I'm sorry…I was rude. It's just that…I'm so…tired." She paused for a bit with her eyes closed, breathing deeply. She looked so weak. "…M-m…My na…" She was trying to speak and breathe at the same time. "…M-My name…is--"

The pregnant woman groaned and automatically brought her hand to her belly. Her face showed she was in pain. Delya quickly knelt down by her. Rhea and Hayden finally noticed the noise and had come over to where they were.

"What is it?" asked Ezra as Delya looked the woman over. Her eyes widened as she said, "Her…her water broke! Sh-she's going into labor!"

Hayden and Rhea began freaking out…they were the youngest there, just teenagers. After much shouting, Ezra got them to calm down and help Delya take care of the woman.

They had to stay up all night and into the early morning. Her screams and wails echoed off the walls of the cave as Delya delivered the baby. "Keep pushing…just push!"

Rhea gasped. "The head! I can see the head!"

"That's it," said Delya. "Push! Keep on pushing, it's almost out!"

The woman scrunched up her face and gave a great moan as she pushed. The baby came out, crying and wailing. Rhea was going to clap and laugh, happy that the baby was out, until she and the other two actually got a good look at it.

Rhea gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, shocked. Ezra's eyes widened as he slowly said, "…Delya…w-what _is_ that thing? It's…it's not--"

"Not human," Delya muttered as she looked at the baby. It had pale, pale skin, and had four red glowing eyes on its face. Blood red markings were everywhere on its body…markings that everyone knew and feared. It was the Mark of Scath…the mark of a demon…the mark of _Trigon_.

"Th-The Mark of Scath? Delya, you…you don't think that…that this child is _the one_, do you? You don't think that…this baby is…the gem?"

She didn't answer. She was staring not at the child, but at its mother, who had fallen asleep from exhaustion. 'Who…who is this woman?' she thought. 'She's…she's the mother of _his _child. Who…who is she?'

Hayden wandered back into the cave, still looking a bit sick. "Hey you guys, i-is it over? Is everything…" he trailed off when he saw what Delya was holding. "What the—what is that! Is that the woman's _baby_?"

Rhea snapped, "Hayden, shut up! You're gonna wake up the mother!"

Before he could answer back, Ezra said, "This isn't the time for you two to get into _another_ fight!"

Delya had went to the carriage and now returned, holding the baby wrapped in a blanket. The marks were no longer visible…they had faded away, but the four eyes were still there. The woman told them to sit.

"I have no doubt in my mind that this baby is the gem," started Delya. There would be _no other reason _why the Mark of Scath was all over her body--"

"Oh, so it's a girl, then?" asked Rhea. Delya nodded. Hayden just stared at her. "Wha—Rhea, what does it matter if it's a girl or a boy? It's Trigon's _child _for Heaven's sake! I--"

"Hayden don't you dare continue, and you, Rhea, don't even _think _about answering back to him!" snapped Ezra. "I _really _don't want to have to listen to you two argue and bicker…please…I already have a headache…"

A pause…then Rhea was about to answer back anyway when her sister interrupted. "Get serious here! We need to think of what to do…"

Rhea and Hayden obeyed. Somehow, they always listened to Delya…poor Ezra always stood on the side, wondering how she does it.

"Hmm…" started the younger girl. "Well…don't you think we should tell Azar about this, sister? Maybe she will know what to do!"

Delya looked at her thoughtfully. "…That _is _an idea, Rhea. Azar probably knows more about this than we do. She is wise and might think of a good plan…"

"So we'll take the child to her?" asked Ezra.

Their leader nodded but Hayden interrupted. "Wait! What are we gonna do about _her?_" He nodded in the direction of the sleeping woman. "She'll probably want her kid…I mean, don't you think she'll at least get upset that we're taking her baby?"

"Well…You have a point," said Delya. "The woman won't let her take the baby without some kind of conflict. We need to think of a way to have the child with us without her stopping us."

"Why don't we just sneak the girl out of here?" suggested Rhea. "We could do it when the lady's asleep…she won't notice!"

"…That seems…cruel," said Ezra. "We'd just be leaving her here, alone in this cave."

Delya looked at him and said, "…Sacrifices must be made, Ezra. This child, there's evil in and around it…I know you've felt it. She could be a danger to us all…so…we need to do something. If we don't…then the more regret we'll have later on…"

No one said anything else. They knew what they'd have to do, although Ezra was still a bit unhappy about it. So they waited there, in the cave until the sun had set and night had come. The woman was fast asleep; strangely, she hadn't woken since falling asleep after giving birth to her baby.

The four worked quickly to gather all their things and load them onto the carriage. Once the last bag had been hoisted on board, they got ready to leave. Ezra was fastening his cloak together when he heard something. Looking to his side, he saw the woman in the cave, moaning a bit in her sleep. She had a frightened look on her face…probably from a nightmare. Ezra just looked at her with pity. He still hadn't gotten over the fact that they were leaving this poor, helpless woman all by herself, no one to help her.

As Delya passed him to go over to the carriage, he grabbed her arm, stopping her. He turned her around to let her see the woman sleeping on the cave's cold floor. He said, softly, "…Look at her, Delya. Just…look."

She did, with pity and slight regret in her eyes. "You know this isn't right," said Ezra. "We…we shouldn't be doing this. This…all of it…it's not something we would do. We'd _never _leave anyone behind…we'd _never _judge others based on anything besides what we see in their _hearts--_"

"_Ezra_," she said in an insistent and slightly stern voice. "This woman had Trigon's _child _growing in her womb! I know you hate judging others, but…how do you think that happened in the first place?" His head snapped up, shock on his face. He couldn't believe what he'd heard.

"D-Delya, how can you--"

"Think about it!" She had raised her voice a bit. "Why do you think Trigon chose this woman to have his child? There must be _something _about her that puts her apart from other females! Do you _assume _that he just walked around town and picked the first woman he saw?"

"Maybe it wasn't her fault!" Ezra had also raised his voice. "Maybe all of this didn't happen by her will! What if he had forced this onto her, or what if he used his lies and traps to deceive her? You can't just think she's a bad person because of this, Delya! Don't think like that…The Delya _I _know never would…"

A moment of silence passed as his words sunk into her mind. Finally she said, "…Fine. We'll bring her with us to the palace. But you _cannot _tell her what we're doing; we'll have to make up something so she won't try to interfere."

Ezra nodded. He walked over to the woman, who was slowly waking up from her long slumber. He told her that they were leaving, and that she'd be welcome to come along with them. She accepted their invitation. The others thought she wasn't strong enough yet to walk; she looked so weak. So they let her ride in the carriage. One of them would take turns to sit in there with her to make sure she was okay. Delya agreed to go first.

Once everyone was ready, they left the cave and continued on their journey. Delya sat inside the carriage with the woman in awkward silence. She had a lot of questions she wanted to ask, but before she could speak, the woman said, "…I…I'm sorry." Delya looked up at her, a little taken aback at her words. 'W-where did this come from?' she thought.

"I know…what you think…about me," she continued, taking short pauses in between, her voice soft and weak. "I'm not deaf…I'm not blind. You wish so much that…you didn't have to…take me with you. I'm not…exactly sure why…but…I think I can safely assume that…it has to do with…my child.

"I know…it wasn't normal. And I know you must be…worried…about having me…with you. But…please don't think like that. I…I'm not…" She trailed off and looked away, to the side of the carriage. "I'm not a _bad _person…really. This child…I didn't have it because I _wanted _to. I…got myself into a mess…and…this is my punishment for being so…careless and foolish. I let myself be…used and deceived. And now…everyone must suffer…because of…_me."_

Tears were beginning to form at the corners of the woman's eyes. Delya looked at her and for a moment, she was at a loss for words. But then she scooted over to her and put an arm around her shoulders, whispering, "…You…don't have to apologize. I…I don't think this was your fault…at all. Don't…don't blame yourself, because I'm sure that…if others were in your situation, they'd have done the same. We all aren't perfect…we have our flaws. So…don't blame yourself for this. Don't apologize. Actually…" Her voice took on a bit of shame. "_I _should be the one apologizing. I shouldn't have assumed that you weren't good because of this. It was wrong of me to do so, so…I'm sorry."

The other woman said nothing…but then turned her head to her and put on a small smile. "…Apology accepted."

Delya smiled back. Suddenly, the smile disappeared from the woman's face as she looked like she just remembered something. Delya looked at her with concern. "What is it? Is something wrong?"

The woman looked back at her. "I just remembered…I haven't told you…what my name is, have I?" Delya shook her head. She sighed. "How forgetful of me…well…my name is…Arella."

"…Arella…that's a pretty name. I'm guessing your parents chose to use a name from the elder days? Not one of the Earthling names that are becoming quite popular…"

She looked up. "Oh…oh no, you see…I…I didn't grow up in the West. I was raised since I was a baby in the North."

"Oh, so…you're a witch, then?"

She shook her head, slowly. "No…I grew up with them, but…I'm human." Arella told her the whole story about how she came to Azarath, with a bit of sadness in her voice. Telling it _again _made her a little, well, unhappy. But she did it anyway. By the end of it, Delya was…pretty shocked. Just as "Galen" had been. But as she talked to her, Arella felt like she could trust Delya. She felt like they'd be good friends…and she was happy for that.

The two chatted for a while…just friendly, light talk. When conversation stopped, and they sat there in silence for a moment, Arella looked out the window of the carriage, thinking about things. She watched the scenery pass by. They were places she'd never seen before. The land was becoming more and more desolate and barren…instead of lush green forests, tress were scarcer and the grass was lessening. Out of curiosity, she asked, "Delya…where exactly are we going?"

"Hmm? Oh…" She turned to her. "Well…we're not from the West; we were only here to do some errands. Now, we're returning home, over the Border, into the East."

Arella said nothing. She was too busy thinking. '…So…they're Easterners. I…I don't think I know _anything _about the East…then…' She glanced at Delya, who was looking out the window at the other side of the carriage. 'Then should I be…careful? Are they…people to worry about? Should I keep my guard up, just in case they…try to do something? I don't know…they _seem _nice, but…'

Her thoughts were interrupted when Delya said, "…Hey…Arella. I…I'm just curious…about something." Arella turned around. "Yes? What is it?"

"Uh…well, it's just that…you haven't said anything…about your child. Aren't you…don't you want to know anything about it? Or see it at all?"

Her eyes widened so big they'd burst out of her head. 'Oh my God…I am such an _idiot! _How in the _world _could I forget about my baby?' She let out a sigh of frustration, causing Delya to stare even more. "Oh…sorry it's just that…I really am stupid, aren't I? I'm such a bad mother…how could I forget about my baby like that?"

Delya chuckled a little. "Oh so…um…well, was it…a boy? Or a…"

"A girl," finished Delya. A small smile appeared on Arella's face. "A girl…heh…I've always wanted to have a girl as my first child, ever since I was little…"

Silence filled the carriage. Delya _looked _calm, but inside her mind, thoughts were running around at a hundred miles per hour. 'I HAVE TO THINK!' she yelled in her head. 'If she _asks _about the girl, I…I have to have an answer! Oh, I'm such a _fool_ for even bringing this up in the first place…argh! Why did I--'

'Well,' said her conscience. 'You _knew _she'd ask eventually, even though she does seem extremely forgetful.'

She sighed in her mind. 'Yeah, I…I guess you're right. But,' She gave Arella a quick, nervous glance. She grew even _more _panicky when she saw _that _look on her face…the one people get when they have something they _really _want to ask, but they're a bit anxious about saying it. 'OH MY--! NO…NO NO NO NO! She…she's going to say something…but…but then, what am _I _gonna say to answer! I…I can't mess this up. If…if I say something to lead her on, ugh…she'll _know _what we're planning! And…' She bit her lip. 'I don't know why, but…she seems like a smart girl, even though she's young…oh Hemora, what will I say? I can't blow it, I can't blow it, I can't--'

"Delya." She jumped and fell out of her seat to the floor. Arella just looked at her, not sure if she should laugh or be worried. Settling down, Delya said, "…Heh…sorry. Um…what? What was it?" (Author's Note: Oh…yeah, uh, "Hemora" is just some name I made up…like, for one of their Gods…ya know? Well anyway…)

Arella just stared for a moment. Earlier, when Delya was panicking in her head, Arella had noticed how…_edgy_ she was. 'Uh…' she'd thought to herself. 'I…I wonder what's her problem? Maybe…maybe I shouldn't ask _now_. I could…just save my question for later…' But her conscience had convinced her to just do it. 'I mean,' said her conscience. 'Don't you wanna see your baby, Arella?'

So she had to say something. "Um…well…I was just _wondering_…if I could…see my baby? I just…I really wanted to see her…to hold her…you know?"

Delya was nervously tapping her fingers on the carriage seat. 'What-am-I-going-to-say!' She quickly looked out the window where she saw Ezra walking slowly. He was wearing all black, as he usually did. Even his cloak was black. 'Wow…' she thought. 'Why does he like wearing that dark color all the time? He just looks like he's going to a funeral…it's not like anyone's _died _or…wait…' The wheels began to turn in her mind. 'Death…that's it! I know what to say!'

She cleared her throat, making Arella look back at her. "Um…" she started. "W-Well…heh, um...it's…I don't know how to say this. It's…it's not easy…" The other woman just stared back, concern on her face. "Delya…is…is something _wrong?_ Did something happen to my baby?"

She swallowed. 'Okay…say it…say it…but…DON'T BLOW IT! Do…not…BLOW IT!'

"I'm sorry but--!" She stopped suddenly after blurting out the beginning, and slowly said the rest, while Arella just…well…stared. "Your baby…it…she…didn't make it. She _died_ Arella. I…I'm so sorry…"

There was no response. Arella was still staring at her; the news really hadn't sunk in yet. It was…It was like there was something blocking her ears. She felt like…she didn't clearly hear what Delya had said. "Um…could you…could you repeat that? I don't think I--"

"She's dead, Arella. She…" The woman looked down, ashamed because she was lying. She wasn't one to lie but…if this would save others, then…she'd do it…without hesitation.

"After you gave birth, while you were asleep, she…she just…didn't make it. I…I should've…told you sooner…"

Arella still sat there, looking like it _still _hadn't affected her. '…W-what?' she thought. 'She's…dead? I…What? How can she…but…I…'

"She…I…It's just…" She tried to say something, but would stop, not knowing _what _to say. Delya looked up at her. 'Hmm…she seems like…she really _cared _about that baby, though it's…not normal. I wonder…maybe it's just…how any mother would feel about her child, no matter _what_ it was or _what_ it looked like.'

"…Heh…you must be thinking…" Delya watched a small smile grow on her face. " 'How could she actually have any feelings toward a child that looks like that?' Well…I don't know…but…I was…I was just so _happy _to be having a baby. At first…I wasn't. At the beginning…I was…so upset. I wanted to kill myself. But…But I couldn't. The thought of another life inside of me…the thought of having my own child…though it scared me…it also…made me so _happy_. I knew that…it wasn't going to be a child like all the others…but…I thought I could…change that. I thought I could raise it to be _good_. But now…" She trailed off.

Delya's eyes saddened. "Arella…I'm so sorry…I…" She stopped. This had really hurt the woman, but…

'I…I can't turn back now,' she thought. 'This child…it's dangerous. It could put all our lives _at risk…_' Her hand became a fist. 'We _have _to get this child to Azar. She is wise…she will know what to do. For know,' She looked at the depressed Arella. 'I can only comfort her. I'm sorry Arella, but…' She went over to her, hugging her as the young woman slowly started to cry for her "lost" child.

'…There's no other option. I _must_ do this.'

**Sigh. Well…I wasn't really planning to end it _here_, but…if I had continued the chapter on to where I _wanted _it to stop…it'd be too long. So I made it into two parts, plus more. Oh yeah, in the next one, expect a few new characters…like Azar! I'm _finally _introducing her…yay!**

**Oh, um…well I don't really know much…ok, I don't know ANYTHING about the Azar in the comics (she _is _a character in the comics…right? I don't know, I just thought I heard her name somewhere), so I made up stuff…anything I could think of. Apologies if it's wrong…wouldn't it be funny if it wasn't?**

**Again, sorry for the _super long_ update, it's just that…school is…very stressful. Four simple words right there. The next update _should _be sooner, since we have a week long break at the start of October! Yaaaaay! Extreme happiness! I won't be doing anything else (…unless they give us even more work to do…waaaaah) so maybe I'll be able to put up two chapters instead of one! I don't know! So I can't promise anything!**

**Ok so…until next time…Oh! Please review! Pleeeeeaaaaase! You will make so so so so happy if you do!**


	5. Four: It Begins Part II

**So here you go, part 2! And I really have to apologize for this being so late (yeah, like four months late) So…I'M SO, SO, SORRY! It's just…I've been busy before with school and projects and stuff…I'm sorry! Now that I'm on winter break, I have nothing to do, so I can focus more on this!**

**Let me say this: Anyone who's reviewed…especially jenn120 and evilsangel (OMG, you guys ROCK! You two always review!) THANK YOU SO MUCH!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own it…don't remind me…**

**And so…uh…it continues…**

The Caged Bird

Chapter Four: It Begins Part II

The group had been traveling for about two weeks now. They were still in Western land, but Delya had told Arella that they'd be over the border and into the East very soon, and when that happened things should go along much faster. Arella had assumed that had to do with some kind of patrol or government issues interfering in how fast they could travel, but the way Delya spoke about it made her unsure. But the young lady had put that to the back of her mind. For now, she gave her attention to the all of the beautiful scenery.

By what the other four had told her, Arella had learned that since the Western Corner was mostly inhabited by humans, there wasn't much of their land that they hadn't bulldozed over to make room for their buildings, structures, new technology and man-made thingsBut she noticed that as they got closer to the border and farther from the cities that the land was getting greener and more like what she had been use to up in the North.

The view that greeted her was breathtaking. The skies, free from pollution and industry, were the beautiful purple as Azarathian skies should be. The grass was greener and the plants and trees were nice and healthy. They passed by crystal clear rivers rushing down to meet the sea, and on one occasion they stopped at a waterfall to have a swim. When the group had stopped traveling for a while and she had time to herself, Arella would go out and pick flowers that she'd come across on walks. It was one thing she had done since she was little: collect flowers. She'd always try to find flowers of different colors, sizes, and types, and she definitely found a lot of new ones in this land. Sometimes even Rhea and Ezra would come along and help her in her little "hunt".

In the two weeks since she'd met him, Arella had found a true friend in Ezra. He might seem a bit cold and uninterested when you first talk to him, but deep inside she found that he was a very kind, gentle, and caring person. Like her, he was intelligent, and the young woman found that she could easily talk to him about things she couldn't with her friends in her witch tribe. Sometimes they stayed up late at night when the other three were fast asleep and just talked. Arella would tell him about the family she left behind, the secrets that they kept from her all these years, and the pain she'd felt when they rejected her when they learned she believed in God. Ezra would tell her about his life in the East with Delya, Hayden, and Rhea and all the places they've seen and things he knew about Azarath she'd never heard before.

"The four of us are friends of the high priestess Azar," he explained. "Her palace is huge, so she let us live with her, but we needed jobs, so we work around the palace and do errands all over Azarath, kind of like servants I guess, but she never calls us that. She thinks of everyone as equals, really. I'm sure when you meet her, you'll really like her…she's a great person to go to when you have any trouble on your mind, she gives really good advice."

He had been so open with her about his life, and it made her want to be open with him, too. Arella was glad that they were friends and she really felt that she could _trust _him.

Today was one of those days when Arella and Ezra were having a very long (and to others, especially Rhea, a very _boring_) conversation about topics people don't normally talk about, like historic battles or rare plant species. They talked as they walked, with Rhea chatting about teenage things with her older sister a few feet in front of them. The carriage rolled on to their side. They were all so involved in their little discussions that they didn't really pay attention to what was in front of them until Hayden gave out a lazy yell from inside the carriage.

"Hey you guys…I think we're heeere!"

They stopped walking and looked up. The sight that greeted them was a marvelous one. Tall mountains stretched up to the sky, so high that they went on past the clouds. Arella looked up in awe. Here they were, at _the_ border, the mountains raised long ago to separate the four Corners, the four kingdoms of Azarath. And this place was one of two points on the planet where the mountains crossed, creating two X's.

It was a place that Arella never thought she'd see in her life stuck in the North, and yet, here she was.

The group had begun to climb the path up to the pass, which Rhea had told Arella was like a long dark cave. As they got closer, Arella continued to look around her at the high view. It was afternoon and the sun, not having set yet, shone bright into her eyes. She blocked the sun out of her sight and kept on admiring the beauty of the nature below her. She turned to her left and looked at the land going over the border on that side. The sky there was cloudy, or that's what it looked like to her. She was so far away she couldn't really tell. But she could see the mountains making up the border on the edge of it. They were a dark color, darker than the other borders. From what she'd seen, it looked pretty gloomy. Arella turned to Ezra and asked him what lay on the other side of those mountains.

"Oh," he said as he looked in the direction she pointed. "That land there would be the Southern Corner."

'The South?' thought Arella. Then, she just had to ask him about something that she heard about since she was a child. "Ezra…are the rumors about that place…true? Do monsters and hideous creatures really live there?"

Ezra stared for a minute, and blinked. Then he laughed and said "Hideous creatures? Heh…well, if you think _fairies _and _unicorns _are hideous creatures, then you'd be right, but…"

Arella stared back, a little surprised at his answer. "Fairies? Unicorns? Those…those _live_ in the South? But…I thought--"

"Arella, you know…you really shouldn't believe everything you hear. Sure, it's been spread practically everywhere that horrific _nightmares _exist and breed there, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's _true_. People only talk like that about Southerners because not many people know much about them…those ideas were just created from gossip and imagination."

"But still…_fairies_?"

Ezra chuckled. "Yes well…those are the kind of creatures you'd expect to see in the South…creatures that would be put in the 'fantasy' genre on Earth. Dragons, werewolves, sea serpents, elves…all kinds of beings. I've met a dwarf or two in my life so far, and I've only been through a small bit of the Southern Corner once, when the four of us had to pass through to get home. All we saw were dead trees, marshes, and a lot of fog. I think that's what a lot of that kingdom is made up of…but Southerners mostly keep to themselves, so you have to go deep inside the land if you want to _see something_."

Arella nodded, and they continued climbing up the path to the pass. 'Well,' she thought. 'That was…interesting. I just learn a little more each day about Azarath, don't I?'

She thought about all she had learned so far after leaving her witch tribe as she walked. 'So…let me see if I understand this. If I remember correctly, the North is mostly filled with and belongs to the witches, the West goes to the humans, the South has all kinds of fantasy creatures, and I'm…not sure about the East. Hmm…well, this should be interesting, then. I wonder what's in store for me there?'

She thought about it until they finally reached the pass. Just like Rhea had said, it looked like a long, dark tunnel that went straight through the mountains. The entrance was pretty big. 'Probably made for all kinds of people,' thought Arella.

Delya went through one of their bags and got out four lanterns and five soft green colored candles, giving one candle to each of them. She then lit hers, and passed it to Ezra, who lit his, and passed it on so everyone's was glowing with a pure, white light. Then she lit the lanterns and passed two to the old man driving the carriage, who hung one on each corner in the front, while Delya hung the other two in the back.

She then turned back to them to speak, and though it looked like she was talking to all of them, it seemed to be directed mainly to Arella, since she'd never been here before.

"Okay so remember now, it's extremely dark in there, so we _have to _stick together, no matter what. Don't ever leave the lanterns' or your candle's light, or go out of anyone's sight. And you Rhea," She looked down at her sister, whose head popped up at the mention of her name. "Don't you go wandering off again like that other time. You know how long it took us all to find you."

Rhea just laughed, a little embarrassed.

Delya shook her head. "The carriage needs to be safe, so me and someone else will have to walk in front, while three walk in back. Ezra, I think it would be best if you walk in back, with Hayden and Rhea--"

"What?!" Rhea exclaimed. "I can't walk in back! That's scary! What if something gets me?"

"Ohhh, so you're saying you're a big chicken then, right?" Hayden said with a smirk and a wink at Delya.

Rhea's shock turned to anger. "I'm not a chicken! You know what? Fine! I'll walk in back…the only thing I'll have to be worrying about is walking through that long tunnel next to _you_!" And she looked at him with a "bring it on" attitude.

Hayden rolled his eyes. "Ha ha, you're _so _funny, Rhea…" He then turned to Delya with a look that said "You owe me _big time_ when we get back". The woman just shrugged.

Arella turned to her. "Delya, really…I can walk in back, let Rhea go in front with you."

She shook her head. "No, I can't do that…it's your first time in there, you should be in front, it's makes it…_less_ uncomfortable, I guess."

"Well, is there a reason I should be worried, besides the darkness?"

"…Let's just say that you can never tell what's hiding in the absence of light."

Arella just stared. Delya looked at her, then put a hand on her shoulder and said "Don't worry, we won't let anything happen to you, just as long as we all stay together. It should be all right…"

The other nodded. They all stood in their positions at the entrance, Arella and Delya in front, the carriage with the elderly driver in the middle, and Ezra, Hayden, and Rhea in back, before they started inside. They walked in, and as soon as they were all in and a distance from the daylight shining in through the entrance, Arella saw just how dark it was.

It was pitch black. She wouldn't have been able to see a foot past her feet if they didn't have their candles and lanterns. She was surprised at how much light they gave off in the darkness. 'They must different from ordinary candles, then,' she thought. 'They're so bright, and they melt much slower, too. They'll probably last all the way to the end of the passage, which doesn't seem to be getting any closer.'

The group walked on through the tunnel, which did seem to be quite big. The ground and walls were rocky and brown, but most of the ground was a little flatter since many had already worn it down when they had passed through. When they had first entered, they were all chatting with each other, but after a while they became too tired and bored to talk. So they kept walking on in silence. At some moments Arella could hear Rhea and Hayden yawning. She, too, was tired, and a bit hungry, but she pushed both out of her mind and focused on walking.

After three hours, Delya stopped them, saying they should stop to eat, sleep, and rest, and continue on the next day, or what they assumed would be the next day. "Just stay around here, close to the carriage. We should all sleep together in a group or circle, instead of scattered here and there. It's safer."

They all nodded, and got settled around the carriage. After eating and talking for a while, they went to sleep, with all the lights still on, of course. Arella was last to fall asleep; for some reason, she was having a hard time doing so. 'I don't know,' she thought. 'I just…I just feel like…I'm being _watched._' But she hadn't seen anything unusual so far. That feeling stayed with her for several minutes before she finally drifted off to sleep, thinking that it was just the endless darkness getting to her.

…The thing was, Arella had no idea how _right_ she had been.

TT

For the next few days, they traveled on through the pass. Rhea tried to keep it lively by chatting about all sorts of things, but it eventually even _she _got tired of talking. So they just walked…and walked…and walked. Arella had never known a more boring time in her life. It was just an empy tunnel, nothing to see, no flowers to collect, no room to roam. The boredom was so much that she wasn't even worried about the darkness anymore.

After about a week, they were still in there. Delya had said before that that was the amount of time it usually took them to get through to the end, and there was nothing different about this trip, so she predicted that they were almost there. The group was walking along, as always, and Arella's eyes were starting to slowly shut, until she heard something.

It was the sound of rocks and dirt falling down the wall to the ground. It was soft, and her ears hardly caught it. Hardly. Her eyes shot open as she said, "What was that?"

Everyone's heads turned to her as they stopped. "What do you mean? Is something wrong?" asked Delya.

"It's just… I heard something. Didn't you hear it?"

They all shook their heads. Arella looked around her, but the same dark, rocky sight greeted her. Nothing seemed different or out of place.

"Huh…I…I must've just imagined it. Maybe I've just…been in here too long."

Delya smiled. "Don't worry, we'll be getting out soon. Then we should be able to get home quickly from there, and you can rest."

Arella nodded, slowly. "Yeah…that…that must be it."

They continued on, leaving the interruption behind them. Arella turned back once and looked at the ceiling of the tunnel, or at least, where she thought it would be. She still had that feeling of being watched…but shook it off. They went on their way, not knowing that a pair of small red eyes was watching them in the darkness, right where Arella had looked. When they were out of its sight, the creature's eyes glowed, and it disappeared in a cloud of black mist.

TT

Soon after that the five got out, uninjured and safe. The scene that greeted them was a nice, relaxing one after having been in the passage. A wide, open green field with flowers scattered here and there lay around them. A cool comforting breeze blew the grass, making it sway. The sky was clear and a light lavender color, a few clouds in the sky. There were some trees in the distance standing tall. The sight just made Arella want to lie down in the grass and be comfortable.

"Hey you guys!" piped up Rhea. "Why don't we have a picnic? This place is perfect for one!"

"That's a great idea," said Delya with a smile. "How does it sound to you guys?"

Arella smiled, Ezra nodded, and Hayden just plopped on the grass saying, "Sure, whatever…I'm just gonna (yawn) take a nap…here…"

Arella helped Delya and the carriage driver get out a blanket, plates, napkins, and utensils, while Ezra and Rhea got out the food, which they had plenty of. They set everything up a few feet from Hayden, who was already snoring.

They had lots of food since they'd been prepared for the journey. They had a loaf of bread, butter, jam, and delicious cheese on one platter. On another was a pile of delicious Azarathian and a few Earthling fruits. "Because I just _love _strawberries and peaches," Rhea had commented. On a large round white china plate were all kinds of yummy pastries. There was also chicken, fish, and ham, if they wanted to make sandwiches. Two pitchers, one filled with water and the other filled with juice stood by, along with a pot of coffee. Arella hadn't seen how they managed to keep the water and juice cold and how they had made the coffee…she'd been too busy listening to Rhea talk about some silly thing she caught Hayden doing a long time ago. She assumed that they either used magic, or they had some strange human devices to help them make it, like she had seen at "Galen's" house in the West.

"Wow…the food looks delicious," said Arella as she gazed at it all spread before her.

"Yes, well we have Ezra to thank for that," commented Delya as she gave him a squeeze. "He made it all before we left…he's becoming such a good cook!"

Ezra, embarrassed, muttered, "Let's just eat already…Rhea, wake up Hayden. We can't have him complaining about his empty stomach when we leave…"

So the five (I mean six…can't forget the old man) sat down to eat. They took their time since they were in no rush to leave. "it shouldn't take us that long," Delya had said. "We can get home faster now that we're in our own land."

No one had yet bothered to explain to Arella what they meant by that. But she hadn't bothered to ask either. She just kept it to herself, knowing that they knew what they were doing and would hopefully get them safely home.

'Home…' Now that she thought about it, she realized that she now had no home. She'd left it behind long ago when she decided to leave the North, and hadn't really thought about it 'till now. 'Is this place we're going to…my new home? Are these people my new…family?'

Her eyes widened. '_No!_ I can't call them my _family_! I…I barely _know _them! How dare I even think that--'

"Arella?" She looked up to see Ezra staring at her, concerned. "Is…is something--"

"No, nothing's wrong," she answered hurriedly as she continued to eat. He didn't stop staring at her though. After a while, she put down her plate and said, "Really, Ezra, I'm fine…I just…it's nothing to worry about, honestly."

He still stared at her for a bit, but she waited, an expression on her face that said "I'm fine, really". But the look that Ezra saw in her eyes betrayed that…it betrayed it completely. But he decided that if she had something to say, she'd tell him…he knew she trusted him, as he trusted her. So he went back to his food as Arella sighed inwardly, relieved.

'_Thank you_, Lord…'

They continued their meal, chatting with each other. Arella laughed along with them, trying to put her thoughts of home and family behind her. Ezra sent her occasional glances, but she ignored him.

After eating they all just relaxed in the grass. Ezra lay in the grass as he watched Arella and Rhea play tag. Rhea later got Hayden to join in after nagging him endlessly. Delya had excused herself and went inside the carriage while the elderly man sat at his seemingly permanent position at the carriage's front, asleep with a straw hat covering his eyes.

Two hours later, the sun was lower in the sky, and most of the group was taking afternoon naps. Arella was still awake; she had wanted to pick some of the beautiful flowers there. After taking her thick, leather-bound journal with her and a pen, she sneaked away from them, not wanting to disturb their napping. A bit of walking later got her so far that she reached the trees they'd seen from a distance after escaping the passage. There she had shade and something to lean on while she lay in the grass, writing about and putting in the flowers she found.

She'd found a lot of flowers here, mostly a certain one with dark blue petals and a golden center, with flecks of gold on its petals. These were everywhere here, but she had never seen it anywhere else before. She gathered a bunch of them, enough to fill a small basket.

"This flower's so beautiful," she commented as she wrote about it and then pressed one of them into her book. "Why haven't I seen it anywhere else?"

"Because it only grows here." Arella jumped at the voice and almost dropped what she was holding. Ezra chuckled softly as he walked up to Arella. She hadn't even noticed him…she'd been so focused on studying the flowers. "Hey."

"Hey…" she replied after settling back down. Ezra sat down cross-legged next to her and watched as she wrote more in her book about other flowers she had found.

"Collecting flowers again?" She nodded, not looking up. He noticed that she'd been avoiding him since he caught her looking a little upset. He didn't want to intrude by asking her about it, so he decided to just leave it behind…for now. "So…did Delya tell you about how we'll be getting home from here?"

She finally looked up. "No…I was…kind of wondering about that. Why do you all keep saying things like 'oh, we'll get there much faster once we get across the border', you know? I…really don't understand it."

"Yes, well…it doesn't really have to do with government matters, if that's what you'd been thinking. It's just…how can I explain this…okay, well Arella, while you were in the West, did you…see any of the kinds of, ah, transportation that the humans have?"

She shook her head. "No…I wasn't there for very long."

"Ok well…there, technology is practically their main focus. Their top goal is to get ahead of the rest of us in life. So they have all kinds of machines and gadgets to make their life easier…in their own way. But…well," Ezra looked back at the carriage. "I think you can assume how…out of place we'd look in a Western city, right?"

Arella chuckled, loosening up and forgetting what happened before. "Yeah, I guess so…"

Ezra smiled, glad to see she was talking to him as they usually would. "Well unlike Westerners, we don't use their technology very much…it's not really needed, actually. Because while they focus on creating new ways, we prefer to keep things…the way they've always been, since our ancestors' time. We use _magic_."

Arella sat up, becoming even more interested. "Magic? Really?"

He nodded. "I suppose it might be similar yet different from your witches' magic. We Easterners really value and believe in keeping the traditional ways of life, ones that the Westerners forgot and left behind long ago. So…we couldn't exactly travel by magic in the West. I'm not sure if it goes against their laws, but I don't think we'd be welcomed warmly by their people…we needed to finish those errands, remember? So we had to travel with our carriage. Though it would surely draw attention to ourselves, I think it's better than having us standing in front of their king while he questions us about our motives."

Arella took in all he said, then spoke. "Okay, I understand that now, but…how exactly do you plan on getting us there?"

"Oh…that's simple. We do what most Easterners just do: teleport."

"That shouldn't take long then, right?"

He nodded. "It might feel…uncomfortable for you, though, since you aren't really used to it. And especially for this, since we'll use a long-range portal; we have quite a distance to go to get home."

Arella flinched. 'There it is again. That word. That four letter, brings-me-pain-to-think-of word. _Home_.'

Ezra saw her flinch, and was about to ask if something was wrong, but stopped the words from escaping his mouth as he remembered what happened the last time. So instead, he just sat there and pretended like he hadn't seen anything. 'I don't think now's the time to talk about it,' he thought as he looked down at the grass. 'Later, maybe, but…not now.'

Arella was happy to see that he hadn't seen what she did, or at least, he was pretending like he hadn't. 'Good,' she thought. 'I really don't feel like explaining myself to him now. Not now…'

So for a few minutes they sat in silence, one looking at the grass and flowers, and the other looking anywhere else but at her companion. The wind, which had been blowing since they got out of the passage, kept on blowing, and it was irritating Arella because it kept lifting a certain lock of her black hair in the air. She kept on trying to make it stay put, but the darn wind just made her efforts useless.

Ezra looked up and watched her trying to make her hair stay in place. A small smile spread on his face at seeing her annoyed to no end. He decided to help her out and grabbed one of the blue and gold flowers she'd collected and, kneeling close to her, stuck it behind her ear, trapping her stray hair. Arella's hand dropped, not being needed anymore. The young man sat down and his smile grew bigger as he saw her slightly blush.

"…T-thank you, Ezra," she muttered as she looked away.

He almost wanted to laugh. She looked so cute. "Your welcome," he replied. His eyes left her for a moment as he looked back to where the carriage was. The others were awake…he saw them standing up and gathering their belongings, putting it back in the carriage. "We should go," he started as he got up off the ground. Arella looked up at him. "The others woke up…I think they're getting ready to leave."

She nodded and gathered up her things. Ezra gave her his hand to help her up, which Arella hesitatingly took. After making sure they had everything, they walked back to their group through the grassy field. When they got there, everything was set, and they were all ready to leave.

"C'mon Arella," said Rhea as soon as she saw her. "We're almost there! I can't wait to show you around the palace!"

She smiled in return as Delya looked up from tying some bags closed. "Oh good you're back. We'll have to walk a bit further…I'd prefer to use the portal when we're out of sight of the border…you can never know who's watching you."

After throwing the bags into the carriage, Delya turned to the rest. "So…are you all ready?" They nodded. "Good…so let's be on our way, then! I want to get back as soon as possible, and I'm sure you all do, too."

So on they went. They went past the open field and into a small forest not too far away. In some places, the trees grew close together, so it was a bit difficult to get through, and they had to stop to clear the way for their carriage. After about twenty minutes of walking, they escaped the trees, and came to a clearing in the forest.

They were in a wide circle, and it was completely empty of any trees, bushes, or flowers. The ground was mostly dirt but a few patches of grass grew here and there, probably because many others had come here before them and trampled over the ground. The sun glowed down and shown brightly on them as they all walked into the circle. Once everyone was there, standing in the clearing, and once the horses were calm and stopped moving too much, Delya put down the sack she was carrying and reached in. She brought out a round, full pouch as big as the palm of Arella's hand.

The woman went to the outside of the circle and walked around it, sprinkling a trail of some kind of white glittery powder onto the ground. Once she had left a complete circle on the rim of the clearing, making sure there were no gaps, she put away the pouch and went back into the circle just as Ezra walked past her to the trail of powder. He was standing at the point where they could all see him. Out of his bag he drew out a small tear-shaped glass vial filled with a clear, mystifying liquid that shone with a faint yet beautiful white light. Ezra opened it and poured a little of the liquid onto the ground. Arella watched it sparkle like the stars as it fell onto the ground.

As soon as it touched the powder, the liquid spread out in both directions of the trail and made it shine, sparkle, and glow, and that seemed to double when the circle connected. Ezra closed the vial, placed it back in his bag, and returned to the center of the clearing, joining the others. With each second, the light of the circle intensified more and more. As the light surrounded them, Delya called out, "Arella, take Ezra's hand! It will make this easier for you, trust me!"

Ezra approached and gave her his hand once again that day, which this time, Arella willingly took. She bit her lip and looked up at him with uncertainty. Seeing this, he smiled and, as the light filled her vision with white, whispered, "It'll be ok…just don't let go." He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze as the light engulfed them and the portal opened beneath their feet.

TT

Far away at the entrance of the passage, another portal was opening. It was a small but long oval shaped portal, opening to a dark, shadowy world. The portal floated in midair, and it was just the right size for a certain small black winged creature with two red eyes like blood-colored jewels pressed onto its face. It beat its wings a few times before screeching and diving into the portal, which immediately closed after it.

It was back in its home, in the Underworld, and was on its way to its master, who had sent it on a mission as his spy. After flying in the red skies for what seemed like a few miles, the creature came to a tall gate made of black metal. The tips of each bar was sharp and pointy, keeping out trespassers, and the dark red liquid flowing down from them showed they served their purpose. The thing screeched again, and another creature came out. It was a squat being with thick arms and legs and rough green skin. It had coarse black hair, pointy ears, and yellow eyes sunk back in its head. It wore thick black armor that clanked as it met the winged creature at the gate.

"So, you're done with your job," he growled in a voice that showed his dislike for the being in front of him. "Good…then you can get out of here and out of my sight faster." He unlocked the gate and let it in.

The creature stayed where it was in the air, flapping its leathery wings. "Well go on!" said guard. "We wouldn't want to keep Lucifer waiting any longer for his _pet bat_."

The other bore its sharp white fangs at being called a bat before it flew away and up to the huge black stone mansion in front of it. It went through an open window and down a hall, passing by many creatures like the guard at the gate in the same black armor rushing around with tasks. Some were too busy to notice it while other stopped and stared at it with loathing. It ignored them as it continued on its way up a flight of stairs to the second floor. Down another hall it went until it reached the double doors at the end. They were open just enough for it to get in, and it flew to its master, who sat in front of a red burning fire in an armchair, sipping a dark colored drink. The back of the chair faced the door, so only the top of his head and his arm holding his glass were visible. His acquaintance stood a foot away, a glass also in his hand. It was the same man that had visited the blind prophet in her cave. He was wearing the same crimson color suit and shoes, with his short red hair falling around his face. He was in deep thought, but looked up as the creature flew to the man sitting in the chair.

The man listened as the creature told him what it had seen on its mission in squeaks and short screeches. He was the only one who could understand what it was saying…not even his companion standing by could comprehend any of it. When it finished, a small smile grew on the man in the chair's face.

"So," he said in a soft, mysterious voice. "We now know where they are taking her, brother. And this makes things oh so more interesting indeed."

The other looked up, interest showing in his black eyes. "What is it? Where are they going?"

The man in the chair set his glass down on a small table to his left and stood, facing him. He looked exactly like his guest, for he was his identical twin brother. He had the same features, was the same height, and was also very handsome. He wore a long black overcoat over a black shirt and pants, and had black shoes on. His black hair was slicked back, his skin was pale, and though his face was blank, a secret menace was hidden in his crimson eyes. "They're going to Diadelle," he answered. "To Azar."

The man in red's eyes widened as he almost choked on his drink. "W-what?" he spluttered. "They're going to _her_? To that woman?"

Lucifer nodded. "They're her palace servants," he explained. "And they're planning to give the child to her, to let her decide what to do. Having the gem in her care makes things much for difficult for him, and having Arella at her house as well is just another thing to worry about."

"Pfft…forget about that mortal woman! She's of no use to this plan anymore…she's done her part."

He shook his head. "I don't think her part in this is over, Hades. She can still influence the way things will turn out…she is the mother of the child after all. It's not over yet…the day of the end has not yet come. In the meantime, _anything _could happen."

Hades looked away, not happy with his brother's response, although he knew he was right. "This whole thing is a mess," he muttered. "This plan of Trigon's is bullshit…how does he even know things will end up good for him and bad for the mortals? How does he not know that everything could change and make things much worse for him in the end?"

Lucifer looked at him thoughtfully. He answered, "He doesn't. Trigon is desperate to get out of his prison, Hades. At this time, he's willing to practically do anything to be free and as mighty as he once was. He doesn't know if this will work out or not. But he's willing to try. And as his brothers, we must assist him in any way we can. After all, we will need him in our final plan. All four of us must stand together for it to be a success…so just be patient, brother. Be patient."

Hades growled but nodded. Lucifer turned his gaze to the fire. "We have to contact Trigon," he said as his eyes watched the flames dance. "Azar's involvement in this will surely be interesting news to his ears."

He crossed the room and opened a drawer. In it, he grabbed a leather pouch and returned to the fireplace. Opening it, he grabbed a pinch of the gray powder in it and threw it into the fireplace where it turned the fire gray for a moment. Then, the flames swirled and faded in color a little as the brothers were able to see an image of another place, covered in flames, close but far from where they were. In the midst of the flames stood the demon they needed to speak to. He turned around, and his four red eyes glowed as he saw who it was.

"Lucifer, Hades," he growled. "What is it? What do you need?"

The twins looked at each other for a few moments before Lucifer turned and said, "Brother…we have…just received news about your plan. News we thought you may be interested to hear…"

**Okay so…yeah. I dunno…this one may not have had much of a point. That's because…well…the chapter was supposed to be _longer _than this. Really. So since it was already so long I said to myself, "Hell, I'll just make an 'It Begins Part 3' already…even though it won't be that long." So yeah…there'll be a part 3, which was supposed to be the ending for this chapter. Hehe. Well, I already have part of it written, so expect an update soon (maybe a week), not like four months again. (Hehe….I'm so sorry for that! Really, please forgive me for taking so long!)**

**Well, tell me what you thought of this! R-E-V-I-E-W!**


	6. Five: It Begins Part III

**One thing to say…**

**HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!!!**

**I hope _2006_ was a great year for you, and that _2007_ will be even better!**

**Ok, well, here's part three of "It Begins". I've been so bored here at home with nothing to do during my winter break, so I've just been…lazy…drawing, going on the comp, watching dvds, and writing this story. I hope you all like this chapter…in the next chapter or so, the _problems_ for the main characters are gonna start arising in the story…I just hope I can write out everything I have planned, and that you enjoy it.**

**Oh yeah, almost forgot…I kind of changed something about the speech. Here:**

**Things to know (revised)**

"…." Talking

'….' Thinking

"…_." Flashbacks_

**Yeah…I think I had italicized words under "talking in a different language" in the prologue, right? Well…yeah.**

**And…I'm not sure, but did I say how old the characters are? I…can't remember (lol) So:**

**Arella:** almost 18 yrs old

**Ezra:** 20 yrs old

**Delya:** 25 yrs old

**Hayden:** 16 yrs old

**Rhea:** 13 yrs old

**Also, thanks to anyone who's read and/or reviewed my story!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans…they're the property of Cartoon Network and DC comics…blah blah blah blah blaaaaah…you get it.**

**Now here we go…**

The Caged Bird

Chapter Five: It Begins Part III

Falling…falling fast, falling forever…

That's what Arella felt as she was in the portal…it was all just like a long fall, off a cliff, a bridge, a tower…and it seemed as if it was never going to end. The wind rushed past her and she felt her long black hair flying all around her, whipping her face. Her eyes were still shut after having the white brightness of the portal fill her vision, and she didn't dare open them. She wasn't sure about this, and she was worried something would go wrong and she'd be separated from the others, but that thought left her mind as she felt Ezra squeeze her hand tighter, as if he had known what she'd been thinking. She smiled and relaxed a bit knowing that he was there by her side, but the smile soon was wiped off her face as she hit the ground with a loud thump.

"Oww…" she groaned as she rolled onto her side and put a hand to her stomach and the other on the ground, a foot away from her face. She felt soft grass under it as she heard a few people around her talking worriedly.

"Oh my god!"

"Tsk, tsk…"

"Whoa."

"Ezra, why did you let go?! You should have kept her hand until we were safely here, _on the ground!_ Oh, Arella I'm sorry…Ezra just let go of your hand too early!" she heard Delya's voice speak as she felt her kneel down and put her arm around her shoulders, helping her up to a sitting postion.

"I-It was an accident, I just thought that she'd land on her feet…most people do, so I didn't…I didn't worry about it too much," Ezra said with guilt on his face.

Arella opened her eyes, squinted, and blinked, trying to get use to her new surroundings after having the white light be the last thing she saw. Ezra kneeled down in front of her. "Arella, I'm so sorry," he apologized. "I just--"

She held her hand up, silencing him. "It's okay, Ezra, I understand…like you said, its not common for people to fall down after teleporting rather than standing up. Besides, I'm sure that if you hadn't known that, you would have held my hand the whole way through. Really, I understand…"

"…Yes, but--"

Arella smiled at him, a nice, kind looking smile which the others took as a "Really, it's okay" look, but Ezra knew her better than they did. He knew that was her "Just listen to me and _shut up_" smile…innocent, yet somehow scary. It automatically made him stop, and instead he held out his hand to her, which she took to get her back on her feet.

Now that she was fine, Delya turned to the others. "Are you all fine? Did everything make it through safely?" With this question, she looked directly at the elderly driver of the carriage who had been inside during their teleportation. He'd been there to make sure that all their things were safe and secure, and that nothing happened to any of their cargo. Arella knew this, but the look she saw Delya give him had something else in it, as if the woman had meant something more than packages and boxes in her question. The man nodded and said, "Yup, it all went through _without a scratch_."

"Good," she replied, then turned her face to them. Arella pushed her observation to the side, focusing more on what was coming next. "So," their leader started, looking at all of them. "We're almost there. We're almost home." She glanced forward and pointed straight ahead. "Just over that hill is the city, the city we've been traveling to for three weeks now. We'll get there soon…very soon, for the sea is calling us. Remember that…always."

The others nodded, obviously understanding her, but poor Arella didn't. 'What does she mean by "the sea is calling us"?' she asked herself as they continued to walk on, toward the tall, green hill and out of the shaded tree-filled area they'd landed in after teleporting. 'I don't know…but…I'm unsure if I should be asking.' She waited to see if anyone, particularly Ezra, would explain it to her, but no one spoke. It seemed that they were too tired and too focused on getting there to make things clear for her. So she kept it to herself and just walked along with them.

Ten minutes of silence passed until they were finally climbing the hill. Rhea was first to get to the top, as she had ran the rest of the way there. Joy filled her face at seeing her home. Hayden arrived next, then Delya, and then Ezra. Arella was last, walking alongside the carriage. As the others were looking out at the sight before them, Ezra looked back, waiting for the young lady to get there. When she was a few steps away, just reaching the top, Ezra said with a smile, "Here we are Arella. Welcome to the city by the sea…welcome to Diadelle."

Arella looked up and gasped. What met her eyes was a picturesque city with white structures, built on sloping hills of green grass just near the white sand of a long, stretching beach, with the blue waves of the ocean hitting the shore. The sun in the clear, afternoon sky sparkled on the water and made everything seem so bright and carefree. This place was just so pleasant to look at…she wouldn't even have minded just standing there staring at it…it was that beautiful.

As he saw her mouth gaping at the sight, Ezra laughed. The others were already heading down to the city, so he grabbed her hand and said, "Well, come on, now! Look, they're leaving us!" This snapped her out of her trance and she laughed, too, as they ran to catch up with them.

They slowed down and walked alongside the carriage, next to Rhea while Delya and Hayden walked in front. With each step closer, Arella felt more excited at going into this magnificent city, but she also felt a bit nervous about what she'd find in there and if she'd be welcomed or not. 'They'll either be happy to have me there or they'll…reject me,' she thought as she walked. 'And I really do hope it's not the later.'

Soon they were at the city's tall gates, its protection from any invasions or attacks. Arella spotted two males, guards, standing at a watchtower. Delya called up to one of them. "Nathaniel!" she shouted. One looked down, and grinned when he saw them.

"Back from your trip?" he asked.

"Yes, and we're very tired, so could you hurry up and let us in already?" Rhea said before her sister could reply. The young man laughed and said "All right" before calling the other man to his side. In a matter of seconds, the gate was opening. Delya scolded her sister for being so rude as group walked in.

The first thing Arella noticed was how crowded it was. There were people everywhere, bustling to and fro, busy with tasks and errands of their own. Some were shouting across to others, who answered back, and some were walking around carrying many bags or heavy crates. There were wagons and carriages just like their own, rolling along to where they were going. Street vendors and shopkeepers stood outside, trying to draw customers in and get them to buy something, from vegetables and fruits to little handmade trinkets. The group pushed their way through the busy market, sometimes greeting people that they knew.

Another thing she noticed was how many different people lived here. Yes, she saw ordinary humans going about, but she also spotted others. A group of what looked like children had ran, or more like galloped, right past them. From the waist up, they looked like boys, but from the waist down they looked like horses. They all had chestnut colored hair, foot long tails, and black hooves that added to the noise as they ran, playing around. From her books, she knew they were centaurs, half men, half horses.

Outside one of the many shops stood an amazing looking bird. It had fiery colored feathers, sharp talons, and a tail as big as a peacock's. It walked in front of the shop, perhaps put there by the owner to attract visitors inside. Arella also knew this bird…it was a phoenix. She had read before about their mystical healing powers and how they burst into flame at death, but are then reborn from the ashes. She'd never seen one in her life before, but knew that they could be found in certain places on Azarath unlike Earth, where only one existed.

A small crowd of young and old men were gathered near a stall that sold beautiful looking necklaces. In the midst of them stood a beautiful young woman with curly blonde hair tied up with a ribbon. She had dark blue eyes and wore a blouse, skirt, and shawl that were the same color and were made of a soft, light material. Different types of shells dangled off her clothing, and she wore a beautiful pearl necklace and earrings. She giggled at the attention she was receiving, but seemed a bit shy and didn't really want to talk to the numerous drooling flirtatious men. Rhea laughed at the sight while Hayden stared at the young lady, mouth a bit agape, but didn't join the crowd. "Idiots," muttered Ezra and Delya as they rolled their eyes at the crowd.

Arella knew what that woman was, too. 'A mermaid,' she thought as they walked farther and farther from the sight. 'So they _do _come on land once in a while…she must've been here to buy things or something.' Mermaids were another subject she'd read about in the past. Merpeople were beautiful beings that lived in cities underneath the sea and looked like half men, half fish. From the waist up they looked like mortals, but from the waist down they had tails and fins. They had a head, arms, hands, and a torso, but their skin was a deep blue. They had blue eyes and each had different colored tails. Arella had read that there were some mermaids and mermen that could transform into humans and walk on land for certain periods of time, so that explained the presence of that one in the market.

"Arella, look," said Delya, tugging on her sleeve. The young woman looked up and saw a group of people, four in all, wearing long cloaks. Their hoods were up, casting most of their face in shadow, but in the sun's light, she could make out that they were men. Before she could ask, Delya said, "They're monks. They live at the palace, too, and well…they always wear those long cloaks, no matter where they are, so don't worry about that. There's a good amount of them, so there is a blend of different personalities…some of the monks are very kind and friendly, some are quite strict and stern. Just treat them, the temple and Lady Azar with respect, and you should get it in return." Arella nodded, showing she understood.

Taking one last glimpse back at them, she decided that those were the "strict and stern" ones, unless all monks were that silent and stiff. 'Hmm…I hope I don't have any problems with them,' she thought, as they continued walking along the road.

As they got farther from the market, it got quieter. They were walking past homes and other buildings, all made of white marble. Some were short and some were tall, some were wide and some were narrow. All the fixtures, things like doorknobs and window frames, were made of gold, shining in the afternoon sun. It all left Arella in awe as she gazed at every structure they passed.

After a while, they left that behind, too, and continued on. As they kept going, the group got closer and closer to the ocean. The young woman could hear the sound of the waves crashing on the shore and smell the salt water of the sea. She couldn't wait to run down the beach, feeling the sand in her toes, and dive in the water. It had been a dream of hers to see the sea, and now, it was coming true.

Suddenly, Rhea squealed in delight as she pointed ahead, saying, "You guys, look! It's there, right up ahead!" And sure enough, they all could see a huge structure not too far away. As soon as she saw it, Arella's stomach dropped. This was something she honestly hadn't expected.

Before when they'd been traveling, Ezra had tried his best to describe the palace. But all he could tell her was that "It's huge…really, really, huge." And Arella _had _listened to him, but…she hadn't thought it would be _this big._ 'This…is gigantic,' she thought as they got closer and closer with each step. 'Not huge…more like a gigantic, enormous, the-biggest-place-you'll-ever-live-in-now-and-for-the-rest-of-your-life palace!'

All the young lady had imagined was a long, two story building, maybe a bit taller than the tree she'd climbed before every day in her youth. But this…this was more…way, way more. The palace wasn't as tall as a skyscraper or a high rise apartment building you'd find here on Earth, but it's size in all directions made up for that. It was four or five stories tall, and it was pretty wide, too. Like all the other buildings in Diadelle, it too was made out of white marble and gold here and there. There were glass windows, some square shaped, others long and stretching, on every floor, and she could spy, on the others sides of the building, that there were balconies, some short, some long. Tall, narrow dark green hedges surrounded the entire palace, looking like thick leafy flames. The road they were on continued all the way past the gates to the front steps, where it ended. As they got closer and closer, Arella got more and more nervous as it finally hit her with full force.

'I…am about to…step into…that place,' she thought. 'That palace, the home of an Azarathian priestess…how should I…what should I…I don't know what to…' Thoughts were stumbling through her mind as she tried to calm herself and think of what to say and how to act and what to do. She didn't want to make herself look like a fool in front of person who was obviously important by the size of her home and the reputation she had.

'Just…act calm…and…don't blow it! Don't stumble, that just makes it worse, don't say ah, uh, um, or er, that leads to more stumbling and stuttering…don't slouch…use manners and be polite…use your _best language_…just…try not to act like an idiot,' she told herself.

They were now at the front gates that were as long as the width of the road; they were built in between the hedges. When Ezra had told Arella that instead of a metal gate running all around the palace, only the front gates were metal and the rest were a long line of hedges, she had been a bit confused.

"But Ezra," she'd asked him. "Wouldn't that make it easy for burglars and thieves to sneak in if you only had hedges there?"

"In other cases, yes," he answered. "But at the palace, well…those aren't just ordinary leafy hedges. They're actually a certain type of plant. From the outside, they look pretty ordinary. But if you're stupid and decide to walk through them, well…let's just say it'll be a very _painful _experience."

And now, Arella could see what he'd meant. Through the hedges she could see thorns, thin, needle-like thorns…so thin that she had to look really closely with squinted eyes. At once she recognized it from another one of her books. It was a plant found only on Azarath, especially in the North. She'd seen it plenty of times before, but never this tall. She knew that it was a poisonous and deadly plant because of its thorns, which held the toxin. Just one thorn stuck in your skin would put you in a dangerous situation. All the young ones in her old tribe had been reminded constantly never to touch or even go near it, for there was no cure to save anyone if the poison entered their systems.

Arella shuddered at seeing it once again, but forgot about it completely when a man came to the gate and greeted them, gladly opening it to let them in. Once the gate closed behind them, they continued walking on up the road. Arella was now at the back of the group, so when she took a few steps but then stopped, no one really noticed. But soon after, Rhea noticed she wasn't with them, and turned around. Seeing Arella standing there, alone, she sneaked out of the group and ran back to her.

"Arella!" said Rhea. "What is it? Is something…bothering you?"

The young woman didn't say anything, but she bit her lip as she apprehensively looked up at the palace.

Putting two and two together, Rhea let out an "Ohh…" and said, "You're afraid to go in there, aren't you? Well…don't worry! It's…it's not as bad as you think, really. Yeah, the place looks _huge_ and…scary, I guess but…it's really cool! Seriously…it's size is actually an awesome thing, well to me I guess, because you can run around the whole place and _explore…_I swear, I find something new about the palace everyday. Hey…" She thought a bit before saying, "You know what I should do? I'll should show you around Azar's place…yeah, I'll give you a tour of all the places we're allowed to go in (and some that I just discovered) whenever you're free! That'll be fun, trust me!"

Arella stood, listening, and couldn't help but smile herself at seeing Rhea grinning like a three-year old. "Well, that really does sound like fun," she replied. "You know…how about you take me on your little 'tour' first thing tomorrow?"

Rhea's grin got wider. "Sure!" she said. "I'm not busy or anything, so that's a great time!" She paused, then studied her, looking at her face. After a while she said "So, um…you're not still nervous about going in there…right?"

Truthfully, their little chat and plan for tomorrow had lessened her uneasiness by just a bit, but Arella didn't want to make the girl feel like her efforts to cheer her up were a waste, so she lied and said, "Yeah, it's…it's gone now, thanks to you, Rhea. Thank you."

The girl smiled and said, "Well, your welcome! Now, c'mon…they're leaving us behind!" And she grabbed her hand and dragged her the rest of the way to the tall, imposing front doors of the palace. Arella gulped as Delya reached out, grabbed one of the door knockers, and knocked on the door. They stood there waiting for a moment before a middle-aged woman opened it for them. Delya smiled and greeted her…she obviously also worked at the palace with them. The other woman opened the door as wide as it could go and walked out and down the steps to the carriage. The group, including Arella, unloaded its cargo and brought it in, placing it on the smooth, white marble floor. As she carried in a container filled with pots and pans, she looked back at the others. Someone was missing.

'The old man,' she thought. 'I wonder where he escaped to?' She thought about it but then pushed it aside, thinking, 'He must've been tired after such a long journey…he probably went inside already to rest.' Putting down her load, she went back and continued helping, not thinking about it anymore.

When they were finished and everything was inside, the woman who answered the door gave them one last smile and then got in the carriage, taking it to a small building to the side of the palace, but still on the grounds. The rest of them went in, shutting the doors. Arella turned around, finally being able to take a good look at the place, and gasped. '…_Wow.' _

And wow was right. The interior of the palace was very spacious…very. Currently the five of them were in the foyer, with the ceiling extending far, far above their heads. The entire floor and walls were made of smooth white marble, and the whole place was incredibly clean. Side tables were lined up against the wall, with vases of flowers on top of them and antique looking mirrors hanging above them. Across the floor to their left and right were two curving grand staircases that led to the second floor. From there, two more straight staircases led to the next floor, and so on. To the side of the foot of each staircase was a hallway, one going left, one going right. Behind the staircases, where a wall should have been, was the entrance to an enormous courtyard garden. From floor to ceiling was glass, so all the sunlight came in, and people could see all the plants and greenery, and it ran all around the garden, enclosing it. The whole palace was very high class, but also gave off an aura of comfort, of relaxation and warmth. This made Arella relax more, and she let out a breath, but she stiffened immediately as a voice came down from the stairs.

"If memory serves, I recall _four _people leaving my gates, yet now _five _return…"

Everyone turned and looked up. At the head of the grand staircase to the right stood a woman in her mid thirties, wearing a long, periwinkle cloak that touched the floor. She had purple hair that reached the middle of her back, and had gray eyes. Her facial expression was calm…she had neither a smile on nor a frown, but Arella felt an air of wisdom around her, an air of importance.

Delya hurried forward as the woman walked down. When they met at the foot of the staircase, Delya bowed before her, but the woman put a hand on her shoulder, making her rise. She looked at her with a caring glance, then smiled as she embraced her. Delya hugged her back, and then said after they parted, "Lady Azar…you've gotten better."

Azar nodded. "Yes, that was quite some illness…it kept me in bed for nearly a week, but I'm fine now. And you all, I'm assuming you're okay as well?" She turned away from Delya, who stood back with the others, and looked at the rest of them, smiling, as her gaze finally rested on the nervous young woman.

"A friend of yours…?" Delya, in thought for a moment, looked up. "Huh? Oh…um…yes, she is. We found her during our trip. She was…alone….so we decided to bring her with us. It is…okay, isn't it, my lady, if she stays here…for a while?"

Azar's smile remained on her face. "Of course! There's nothing wrong with her staying her…we have plenty of room for guests!" Turning, she walked toward the girl. "And what is your name, young lady?"

"…A-Arella," she stuttered. "I-It's Arella, your…your holi--"

"Oh please, don't bother with that," Azar said quickly. "I don't require anyone to call me those names…not even 'my Lady', although everyone who works here insists on doing so…" She glance at the four to her left, who just grinned. "Please, just call me by my name. I would be happy if you would." Arella nodded.

Azar smiled, but it faltered slightly as she glanced over at Delya. The woman was sending her an "I seriously need to talk to you" look, so Azar turned back to Arella and said, "Well, you must be tired from your journey! Um…oh, Hayden, Rhea." They turned. "Please take Arella to one of the guest rooms on the third floor, then…go down to the kitchen. I just remembered, the cook's wife wanted to see you about some…_mess _she says you two left in the dining hall." Hayden groaned as Rhea laughed, remembering the incident Azar had mentioned. Arella said her goodbye as the three walked away, Hayden grumbling, "It's not even my fault…"

Ezra excused himself, saying he'd go to his room to rest, too. That left Delya and Azar alone in the empty foyer. Silence filled the space as Ezra's footsteps echoed and died. When it was completely empty, Azar motioned her to follow as they walked past the staircases to the glass wall behind it. She opened the door, the entrance to the gardens, and the two of them walked in, closing it after them.

The afternoon sun was getting lower and lower in the sky; it would soon set, and since they were by the sea, it was the perfect place to view it. As the two walked in the huge maze of plants, trees, and shrubs, Azar began to speak. "So…how was your trip?"

"It was fine," she answered. "We got all you asked, and the only trouble we encountered was a brief storm." Azar nodded.

Quiet surrounded them. They kept walking, until they reached a wooden bench to the side of the little path they'd been on. Azar sat down, Delya following. The younger woman looked around, and when she was sure they were alone, she turned to her companion.

"My…my lady, I…I need to talk to you."

The priestess didn't return her gaze; she was looking at a bush filled with pretty baby pink flowers, and a butterfly fluttering around them. But seeing her face, she knew she was listening. So she continued.

"It's…it's about Arella. You see, when we found her, it was during the storm. It was freezing, and the wind and rain was pummeling us, so we went off the road to a cave we thought empty. It wasn't. That is where we found her, alone…w-with child." Interest flickered on the other woman's face, but she said nothing. She went on.

"She was lucky we found her at that time, for she soon went into labor. We helped her…I-I delivered the child. And so far, everything was going fine…the delivery went well, Arella was okay, the baby uninjured. But then, it…it all changed…once we…had a _real look _at the child.

"My lady it…the child isn't…isn't _normal_. I honestly didn't realize who…who the father was, 'till I saw…'till I saw the child, I'm….I'm so sorry, Azar, please forgive me!" Delya clenched her eyes and lowered her head, looking as if she was on the brink of tears. Azar put her hand on her arm, making her look up.

"Delya," she began. "Please…don't blame yourself for anything that happened there. This…life…it is all up to the gods. They are the ones who decide what happens…don't blame yourself for something you could not control. The birth of this child, it was not your fault. So please…" She smiled, making Delya smile a little.

"…Th-thank you, my lady." The other nodded, still smiling. Delya paused a little to calm herself, then went on. "I don't know if you…already knew this, but…but this child, this girl, she is…special. She is…her_ birth _has been…expected and awaited by many, I can assure you. It's because…she is…the one, my lady. She is the child you and the monks have been searching for. She is…the gem." The priestess's eyes widened as the elderly driver of the carriage came around the corner of the garden path. Earlier when the others had been taking their things into the palace, he had slipped away and came in through the back entrance, waiting for Azar and Delya to enter the garden. He walked towards them with a bundle in his arm, a blanket with a baby in it, asleep. He knelt down beside the priestess, allowing her to see the child.

Azar's eyes softened at the sight of the cute baby, and she reached out and stroked her head. Delya smiled, knowing how much she loved young children. Azar looked up. "So…this is…Trigon's child? The child of…the prophecy?" Delya and the old man nodded.

"Hmm…so, Maeretar and Emmadaea were right after all…"

Delya's head shot up. "You've…you've been to the Lord and Lady?"

"Yes…while you were away, I went to Azcapelle to see them. They had…sent for me, saying it was urgent. We discussed things…their thoughts on the…_situation _with Trigon and the child of the prophecy. They had warned me that the wheel of the tragedy to befall all mortals had been put into motion, and that now, they were just awaiting what would happen next."

Delya looked at her, amazed. "So they…they _knew _that the child had…had been…"

Azar nodded, slowly. "They used the clues they'd found and the information their spies had given them to piece it together. They told me that…I had to be ready, for I would also play a part in the events to come, that I would…_influence_ the child in some way. I am…unsure how, but…" she glanced down at the child. "I hope I am ready to face it."

TT

"Oh, Isaiah…" A woman in her mid-forties, one of the servants, opened the front doors of the palace, letting in a young man. He was thin and lanky with brown hair. He wore clothes that were a little worn out and dirty since he was one of the people who worked in the gardens and the palace grounds. He tiredly walked in, muttering a "thanks" as she closed the doors. As he took off his jacket, she continued. "Delya and the others just got back from their trip…and they brought along a little friend."

Isaiah looked up, interested. "Oh? Who is it?"

The woman shrugged. "I'm not sure…but I don't think she's from here. Probably a traveler they found along the way looking for a place to rest. But," she stopped him from walking away down the hall. "There's something…going on. I don't know…it feels like there's another _secret _that came up when they got here. It's just…this feeling I have."

Isaiah was in thought. The palace workers and servants were always interested in gossip, since they were in a place that got a lot of important guests and visitors. Whenever they were gathered in a little place for a meal or something, they'd sit and talk about things going on and stuff they've overheard that others might not know about.

It was quiet for a minute. The woman watched him think, waiting for a response, but she grew impatient, having other duties to get to. "Well," she said. "If you're…_interested _at all, Lady Azar is in the garden with Delya, discussing…things." The young man's head shot up, turning toward the greenery of the palace's courtyard garden.

"I'll see you later then, Isaiah," said the woman as she bid him goodbye and left to do more chores. That left him alone in the foyer, in his thoughts, which were buzzing around in his head.

Isaiah had always been a curious child since he was little, and he'd always been sneaking around places and eavesdropping on people to discover things he'd be better off not knowing. Snooping around and being sneaky were his number one traits, and being kiss ass came a close second. As much as he loved to pry on other people's business, he loved to suck up to people of high status, whether it was getting food and drink for them, or doing special errands. Just as long as he got their attention…he was fine. And he just _loved _to see the look of envy on his fellow workers' faces as he waited on and sometimes chatted with lords and ladies from across Azarath.

'I wonder…' he thought as he swept across the foyer to the entrance to the garden at the glass wall. He couldn't see anything through the plants and trees…it was too thick to see if anyone was actually inside, unless you were on a higher floor, looking down. And if there was any conversation going on, he wouldn't be able to hear it, either, since the structure was built so no sound passed through, keeping the place peaceful and quiet.

The young man looked around, making sure no one was looking, and slowly opened the door, stepping in and shutting it silently. He crept through the bushes and branches, staying away from the little path that ran through the garden, knowing it would be safer if he stayed hidden. For a while, he found nothing and no one, and was about to get out of there until he heard voices not too far away.

Using his "spying" skills, he moved without a sound until he was a few feet behind the priestess and the two palace servants sitting on a wooden bench. They were talking to each to other, and by the tone of their voices, it was a serious conversation. He crept a little closer to be able to hear what they were saying.

"So you decided to bring her here, to me?" said Azar as she looked down at a bundle in Delya's arms.

"Yes," replied the woman. "I thought…I thought that you would know what to do, my lady, since none of us had any clue whatsoever." She too looked at the bundle she held. "It's amazing, my lady…" she started. "The baby _hardly _caused us any problems…she was so quiet during most of the trip. I was so worried that she'd cry or make some noise that would make Arella suspicious but…that wasn't much of a problem. I made sure that someone was in the carriage whenever we had the time, but not so much that Arella would notice and start to have thoughts about it. And plus," she turned to the old man sitting next to her. "Noah was there the entire time, driving the carriage. He always made sure that the baby was okay."

The elderly man smiled. "It was no trouble…after all, I haven't taken care of such a young child since my daughter went away to the West to work years ago. I enjoyed it, really."

Delya looked at him gratefully, which he just smiled at. Azar, who was still gazing at the baby, said, "Well I'm thankful you decided to bring this matter to me, as it is of utmost importance." Delya nodded as the priestess continued. "I have been…worrying about this for the past couple of days before you arrived, after I came back from visiting Maeretar and Emmadaea. I was so unsure of how I'd deal with this, what I could _possibly_ do in a situation as…severe as this one. I don't know if I can…" she trailed off, looking away.

Delya studied her face, knowing what she was thinking. She put a hand on hers and said, "My…my lady, I know this is…difficult for you, all the _pressure _to live up to everyone's expectations and keep us safe, but…please know that…I have _faith _in you. I know you, I…I truly believe that you can do it, that you accomplish this. You are strong, my lady. Your strength has pulled you through difficult situations before...and it will carry you through this one. I know it will."

For a moment, nothing happened…then, a smile slowly spread across Azar's face as she looked up at Delya, who was smiling also. Without another word, Delya gave the child to the priestess, who took her in her arms. The two servants said their goodbyes and left her alone, to think.

The woman sat there for a few minutes, deep in thought as she held the baby that as of now was in her care. She was thinking about all that had happened in the past month…how something that everyone had been waiting for _so long_ to happen was finally beginning. The prophecy was coming true…after so many years of anxiety and worry, it was finally happening. It had taken so long that some people in other places were starting to think that it was just some kind of wide spread hoax to scare everyone, and had just shrugged it off. But most still believed…they still believed that one day it would happen…Trigon would put his plan into action, and everything would be destroyed.

"So, little one…" Azar whispered, speaking down to the baby. "You are here at last. The gem…the one who is supposed to bring our world to an end." For a moment, she looked at the baby, once again stroking her head. She then sighed and said, "Well...this is it. From now on, things will change…our lives will no longer be the same. Peace will only be a dream; when the news of your birth is spread, I don't doubt that many will be angry, scared, and confused. Everything we've known will slowly disappear, making way for what will soon come."

A few more minutes of silence…then she stood, holding the infant in her arms, making sure not to wake her. As she looked at her calm, sleeping face, Azar said, "Now is the time that we must face our doom. Now, here, with you, little one…it begins."

And with that, she walked away down the path, exiting the garden, leaving a shaken and disturbed young man crouched behind the bench, in shock of all he had just discovered.

**Wow, was that long or what? Heh…well, what did you think? Was it okay? Did I write out Azar's part well, or was it super duper crappy? Let me know…by reviewing!**

**Okay well…I have roughly two weeks left of break before school starts up again, but I don't think I can get in the next update before then…I'm still a bit unsure of what to write, and I might be busy with things at home…but don't worry! I'll try to work on this whenever I can (That means whenever I'm bored and have absolutely nothing at all to do…lol)**

**So until then, plz read and review so you can tell me what I need to improve on, or any ideas and comments you have for me!**

**And again, Happy New Year!**


	7. Six: Protect You Part I

…**Do I even need to say it? (Heh…well, I will anyway) I am SO SORRY! Please _forgive me _for taking so long, it's just that I was so busy with school and stuff, I hardly had time to work on this. But…I got it done! And now I feel so accomplished. lol. **

**Yes, I know it's _long _(longer than any of the other chapters, actually) and believe me, it took a _long time _to finish…I spent most of this week, my first week of Spring Break, working on it. It actually would've been _longer, _but I knew it was way too much, so I cut it into parts, just like with "It Begins, parts 1, 2, and 3". The next chapter should be shorter than this (yay). Even though this chapter is only about _one day_, it's long because of all the things that happen…very _important _things.**

…**Let's just say that the real _problems _start to arise in this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: As I said above, "Do I even need to say it?" I do not own it. It makes me sad.**

**And without further ado, the fifteen page long chapter I've been working my ass off on all week… **

The Caged Bird

Chapter Six: Protect You Part I

It was morning. The sun's warm rays spilled into the guest room and across the bed where Arella slept, peacefully. Yesterday, after they'd arrived at the palace and Hayden and Rhea had brought her to her room, she'd automatically dropped her bags and threw herself on the large bed. From then on, she'd stayed there, through the afternoon, past dinnertime, and into the night 'till now. Usually she never slept this late, but she'd been so tired from traveling that she couldn't help it. So this was the current situation. Very quiet, completely still, _very _peaceful…

"ARELLA!"

…or not.

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK_

"Hey, Arella, are you awake?" a voice yelled through the door. "If you're still sleeping, then…you should get up already! You know, it's getting late…like, close to lunch…"

"Nnn…" The young woman opened her eyes, not happy about being disturbed from one of the best rests she'd _ever_ had. She'd been tempted to throw something at the door and yell "go away", but she held back the urge.

Again, the person knocked, loudly, and continued to shout at her to wake up. For a minute, she laid there, her body refusing to get up. She loved this bed…it was the softest, comfiest thing she'd ever slept in, and she really didn't want to leave it. _But_…she knew she'd have to leave it _eventually_, so she unhappily threw back the covers, got out, walked across the room, and swung open the door.

"What!" she almost shouted, silencing the person standing in the hall. It was Rhea.

For a moment she looked startled, eyes wide…but then it was gone in a flash. "Hey!" she said cheerfully. "You ready for today?"

Arella blinked slowly, then muttered,"…What...What are you talking about?" She was still annoyed and cranky about being waken up.

The girl grinned. "Don't tell me you forgot? I'm here to give you the tour, remember?"

Arella stared at her, still not getting it.

Waiting for a reaction, but not getting one, Rhea laughed and said. "Right before we were going in here yesterday, remember, we had that _talk_, and…I said that to let you get more comfortable I'd give you a tour of this place. Plus, _you _were the one who said we should do this 'first thing tomorrow', _right?"_

As she said this, realization dawned on Arella. '_Oh…_' she thought. 'That's right…we planned to have that tour today. _Ugh_, but…I only said that to make her feel better, not because I really wanted to!' Her eyes returned to Rhea, still smiling like a little kid, waiting for her. She was willing to spend time with her because she thought it'd make her feel better, because she _wanted _to make her feel better. A small smile spread on her face. 'The girl may be annoying sometimes, but…she has a heart of gold.'

"Heh…sorry Rhea, I guess I forgot," she apologized. "So, uh…well, I think you can guess that I kind of just got up." The other girl giggled. "And I'd _really _love the chance to freshen up, so maybe…you could go downstairs and wait for me?"

Rhea's eyes brightened even more. "Y-you're really gonna come? Like, seriously?"

Her smile grew. "Of course…after all, a promise _is_ a promise, and I always keep mine."

The girl looked away sheepishly. "Yeah, well…you were just, I dunno, kinda…_grouchy_ when you opened the door and…yeah…so I kinda thought you weren't gonna come with me…"

Arella almost laughed out loud. "Don't worry, Rhea, I'm coming with you…just hurry downstairs and wait, I'll be there in a few minutes, okay?"

Rhea nodded, spun around, and skipped away, saying "Don't take too long, 'kay? Not like my sister, _please…_"

Arella chuckled. "Okay, I'll try!" And she went back in her room and shut the door, going into her bathroom to get ready for this "tour".

TT

"This is gonna take forever!"

"Oh…_ya think?_"

"Stop acting like idiots and do your jobs!"

"Stop being a bossy know-it-all and do _your_ job!"

"Hey people, people! Can you please listen and at least _cooperate _with each other? This will all be over soon, so don't--"

"Save your speech and just _move already!"_

"Has anyone seen the _gold _candlesticks? I have plenty enough of _sliver ones_, thank you…"

"Someone get this to the dining hall! They want it right away!"

"I just can't _wait _'till this is over…if you agree, say aye!"

"_AYE!" _

People were yelling back and forth and hurrying from room to room as they were getting ready for a special event in the palace. Nearly all the servants were occupied with preparing for the arrival of special guests…_very _special guests. The biggest, grandest rooms needed decorating, food needed to be cooked, guest rooms made ready, and all the other little touches to make everything _perfect._ They'd been getting ready for this in advance, but many things still needed to be done before tonight. Yes, that's right. Tonight was the night they'd be coming.

"Lady Azar! Lady Azar!"

A man shouted this as he tried to push his way through the dining hall to Azar. She was standing at the other end, finishing fixing up a problem with a few other servants. She turned around as she heard her name being called.

"Yes? What is it?"

After a moment, the man finally got through and was now standing in front of her. "Your holiness, I was sent here by one of the Council members…he said something about fetching papers from you…?"

Azar thought, then remembered what he was talking about. "Oh, _those_…I have them, they're upstairs in my study. Come, I'll get them for you so you can be on your way."

Quickly she led them out of the dining hall and up the staircase to the next floor, and the next floor, being stopped occasionally by servants that had questions or were confused about something. When they'd finally reached the floor before their destination, they once again came to a halt as a woman stumbled over to them.

"_My Lady!_ Oh I'm so happy to see you!" She looked exhausted. Her hair was a mess, and there were signs of what appeared to be drool and food on her long dress. Bags were under her eyes from lack of sleep, and her shoulders drooped from tiredness. Azar, slightly irritated at being stopped once again and at having to deal with all this in the morning, turned and said sharply, "_What _is it _now?"_

"My lady it's just…I don't know if I can do this anymore! The ba--" She froze as she saw Azar give her a look, warning her not to let out the secret. "I-I mean, the _puppy _has been whining and bawling for nights (I thought you told me she was a silent one?) and I have to get up every few hours to feed her (When am _I _suppose to sleep?) and I have to sing her to sleep and make sure she's fine and just…ugh, all I'm saying is that I cannot do this _by myself, _my Lady! I need…I need help, please!" And she looked up at her with pleading, pleading eyes.

Azar looked at her with pity. Before she could say anything, the man beside her interrupted. "Excuse me, Lady Azar, but I really need those papers…he is expecting them, and it took me long enough to get here, so if you do not mind…" His tone was full of annoyance…all he wanted to do was get the stuff and be on his merry way.

The high priestess looked from one person to the other, biting her lip, trying to decide what to do. The woman looked up at her, waiting with hope for her answer while the man tapped his right foot impatiently. After a minute, Azar finally spoke. Turning to the woman she said, "Carmine, I…I know you're doing so much and working so hard but…it's just, I really must take care of this, I'm…quite busy, so I think that you can, erhm, handle the situation perfectly on your own…after all, it's just a puppy, it can't do much harm…" And without looking back, she climbed up the stairs, the man following her with an "Oh, _thank you" _look on his face, glad she'd finally made a decision and that she'd chosen to forget about the puppy. 'I mean honestly,' he thought. 'A puppy? She needs the high priestess's help with a puppy? How _pathetic_…'

The woman's face dropped as she watched Azar walk away from her, thinking that she could 'handle the situation perfectly on her own'. Tears were threatening to fall as she unwillingly dragged herself back to the bedroom, taking care of a baby that wasn't hers. The unfortunate thing about this was that since everyone was so busy with the preparations for the guests, she was the only servant available and who Azar trusted to take care of the child, so…the poor woman had to do all of this, _all by herself._

TT

After getting dressed, Arella went down the stairs where she found Rhea waiting, drumming her fingers on the banister. When she turned around and saw her coming, she looked a little…surprised.

"Wow…"

Arella looked at her, confused. "Wow, what?"

"Well…it's just that…don't you ever wear anything _else _besides that dress? I mean, I've never seen you wear something, you know, different. How about a change for once?"

Arella looked down at herself. As always, she was wearing the dress she'd always worn in the North, the black and dark blue one. It was the only style of clothing the witches ever wore, and the same went for the warlocks clothing. She'd hardly ever had on something else…in fact, she wore that dress so much that she had six or seven of them packed in her bags upstairs.

"What…what's wrong with my dress?" she asked, still confused.

Rhea let out a short laugh. "Nothing's wrong with it," she said. "It's not really about the dress, it's just that…seeing something different on you would be nice, ya know?"

Arella thought…then said, "Hmm…you know…that's not such a bad idea, Rhea. But, uh…" She looked down at herself again. "I'm not exactly the _best _person to go to about _fashion_, if you get what I mean…"

Rhea giggled. "Haha…well don't worry, I can help you with that!" Her eyes widened. "Oh! Oh! We could go on a little shopping trip together! Yeah! And…and my sister could come too, and Ezra, and Hayden…oh, well maybe not Hayden, he'll get bored…" She looked back up at Arella, grinning. "We could go up near Lastrodam, to that little marketplace in the woods…they have the _best_ stuff, you won't find it anywhere else! Haha…it'll be fun, Arella!"

The young woman stood there, unable to think of anything to say, a little overwhelmed at how fast the girl could make up plans. 'It's like she just pulls them out of the air,' she thought as Rhea continued to grin. Seeing her standing there like that almost made her laugh out loud, unmoving, with only her happy go lucky attitude plastered on her face. It made her just want to say "yes" automatically, but she learned not to do that anymore with this girl, so she caught herself and said, "Um…wow…that sounds _really _great, Rhea, but…I'm not exactly sure if I can go. I might have…other plans…" But before her face fell, she said quickly, "But I'll definitely keep it in mind! It…It really does sound like fun, so…I'll remember to make room for it, okay?" She smiled, and the smile slowly returned to the girl's face, too.

Putting that to the side, Arella said, "So, Rhea…do you think we should get started on this little 'tour' of yours? I've been…really anxious to know what you've planned for us to do!"

Her smile got bigger. "Yeah! I've got _loads _planned on our list of things to do…and if we're gonna finish in time, we really should start now! So," she grabbed her hand, "Let's go!"

She pulled her along down the hall towards the dining hall, walking fast. Arella thought over in her mind what she'd just said. "…Hey, wait…um, Rhea, what did you mean when you said 'if we're gonna finish in—'"

They burst through the doors, and Arella's mouth almost dropped to the floor.

"Oh…My…God…"

The place was filled with the palace servants, maids, and workers, all bustling to and fro, preparing for the big night. It was quite noisy, some giving orders and directions out and some yelling to others across the room. Along with all the people were all the stuff, lying around on top of furniture and piled high in the servants' arms. A man passing by with a mountain of rolled up napkins stumbled and almost dropped some, but Arella stepped in and caught them before they fell. She looked down at one of them. They were white napkins with an intricate and beautiful design woven into it in golden thread, which, she assumed, was the seal of the high priestess.

"Th-Thank you so much," the man said, stammering, as Arella handed him the napkins. As he began to walk away, she called out, "Sir, are you sure you don't need help with those?"

"Oh, no no, I'm fine," he shouted back. He spun around so she could actually see his face behind the white linen. Smiling slightly, he said, "Thank you anyway!" And he turned and disappeared into the crowd.

Arella felt a tug and found herself suddenly being dragged through the people. She had to dodge one person or another, trying not to bump into anyone or knock anything over. After a minute or two, they were finally out, standing in an empty corridor. She had to catch her breath for a moment, before she could speak.

"…Rhea…what's going on here? Why is…why is everyone so busy?"

The girl looked at her strangely for a while, then let out an "oh…" and said, "No one's told you yet…about tonight…have they?"

She shook her head. "Hmm…well, okay, um…see, tonight, there's something _big _going on here at the palace…and I mean _big. _We're having…very special guests…like, really special…so special that everyone's nervous about messing up or doing something wrong."

Arella nodded, showing she understood so far. "Yeah…um…okay, has anyone told you about the Council yet?" She shook her head. "….Oh. Okay, well…the Council is like, uh, I guess our form of government here in the East. The Eastern Corner is split up into I think twelve regions, and the people in those regions vote for the person to represent them on the Council. And there's one person out of the twelve that's chosen by the twelve themselves to be the leader, the Head of the Council. So yeah…they're like, _very _important people, and they're 'coming for dinner' so…everyone's been getting ready. I think they're gonna stay here for a couple of days, so that's why they gotta set up the guest rooms and everything. Yup…things are gonna be _hectic _around here, I can promise you that…"

A few minutes later, after walking down some corridors and passing through some rooms, the two came to an empty sitting room. Furniture was placed here and there…a long maroon sofa, a few armchairs, tables, and shelves. Large landscape paintings were hung on three of the walls, and a few vases sat nearby. The remaining wall was mostly made up of a large window that stood from ceiling to floor, letting the sunlight in, the heavy, dark curtains tied back at the ends. A wide carpet was in the middle, underneath a big coffee table and in the center of the sofa and armchairs. To Arella, it looked like the perfect place to read a book with a nice hot cup of tea.

"This is one of our sitting rooms. It's the one Delya, Ezra, Hayden, and I, and a few others, like to hang out in," Rhea explained. "Most of the time it's empty 'cause the guests usually sit around in the big fancy one upstairs, so Lady Azar lets us stay here whenever. I like this room…it's so comfy and just relaxing. Ezra's usually in here reading a book…sometimes I do, too, it's perfect for doing that."

Arella smiled. "Yeah…I was just thinking how I'd like to do that myself."

Rhea grinned. "You can come here whenever you want to, too! I just hope you can remember how to get here, haha! Um, okay so…why don't we get going--"

"Oh Rhea, there you are," said Hayden as he walked into the sitting room. "Your sister's looking for you, she needs your help in the kitchen."

"But I can't!" Rhea protested. "I'm showing Arella around the palace…you do remember she's new here, right?"

Hayden sighed. "She _knew _you'd say something like that. Well…that's fine then, I guess you don't want to help her making the _desserts…_"

Rhea's face lit up immediately. "She's doing the desserts? Oh, oh, I wanna help, please? I bet she's making that really good cake thingy with the fruits on top…" She trailed off as she turned to Arella, guilt on her face. "Arella…do you mind if we, um, postpone the tour 'till tomorrow or something? Would you mind?"

She shook her head. "It's okay Rhea, you can go help your sister…I wouldn't want to hold you back from something so fun."

"…Are you sure it's--?"

"Positive. Now go," she said, pushing her towards the door. "I'll be fine, I promise." The girl grinned and said her thanks as she skipped out of the room, Hayden following.

Standing in the empty sitting room, the young woman sighed as she plopped down on the sofa. Ever since she got here, Arella had felt so overwhelmed with everything that'd been shown, told, or given to her. She'd been welcomed, or rather, pushed into a new life, a life she hadn't really asked for but given all the same. And it was nice, Arella did appreciate all that these people had done for her since they found her in that cave, but still…

She just…felt so alone. More alone than she'd felt in her entire life.

Everyone was warm here, kind, caring…but it was just…so entirely new to her, so different. Much different from the quiet, reserved, solitude-seeking witches and warlocks she'd grown up with in the North. She liked it here, really, but…she just felt so out of place, like this was all a show that she could only watch but never be a part of. Yesterday, she'd dreamt of living here, in this home, with these people, with Delya, Rhea, Hayden, and Ezra. With people she could call her _family,_ in a place she could call…her _home._

…But as soon as the thought came up, she pushed it to the side completely. 'This isn't your home,' she'd scolded herself in her dreams. 'They aren't your family, they won't be, and do you know why? Because these are just people, kind, generous people, letting you stay here until you need to. Until. Meaning that there will be a point where you won't be welcome anymore, where you'll be pushed out, where you'll be _asked to leave…_' The memories of before resurfaced, but slowly sank back down as she had continued to talk to herself in her dreams. 'You _barely _know these people, Arella. You've _barely_ lived in this place. This isn't where you can call your home, no matter how much you want to. It's just…temporary. This is all just temporary. It won't be here forever. _You_ won't be here forever. Remember that.'

Even now she was still thinking about it. She loved this place, but…she couldn't. She couldn't allow herself to because…it would just break her heart in the end to leave it if she did. 'Because,' she told herself. 'It's just _temporary._'

"Arella?" She looked up to see Ezra enter, looking at her curiously. "Are you okay? You…you don't look so good."

"I-I'm fine," she said, turning away to look at the carpet. He continued to stare at her, then walked across the room and sat down in one of the armchairs. A moment of silence, then, "What's wrong Arella? I know something's up, ever since I caught you looking upset when we were eating in that field. It's not hard to see, no matter how much you try to hide it."

Still refusing to look at him, Ezra reached over and put his hand on hers. "Arella," he said comfortingly. "I know you're definitely _not _fine, and…all I want to do is help you. Please understand that. If you…if you want to let it out, just know that you can talk to me. You don't have to keep it in. You can tell me what's on your mind."

She bit her lip, not speaking, but he was patient. He waited until, finally, "…What..._am_ I to you, Ezra?"

He stared. Well. He hadn't expected _that_ to come out. "Uh…what do you mean?"

She replied, slowly, "…Is this…is this really a friendship? Something that can…last? Or is it…am I just…temporary? Will I…will this all be here, just for a moment, just for _this_ moment? Will I be saying hello one day, and then…saying good bye the next?"

Ezra's eyes widened. "A-Arella, what…why are you thinking about something like that? Of course I care about you, of course you're my friend! Don't..." He paused and squeezed her hand, trying to be more reassuring. "Don't worry about this, Arella. You won't be going, you…you won't have to leave, not unless you want to. I…we, Delya, and the others, we all care about you, truly. We found you just barely a month ago, but yet…it feels like we've known each other for so much longer than that. I mean, if someone asked, I wouldn't hesitate to even call you part of our small family, and I'm sure the others wouldn't either."

He stopped and sighed, then gave her a small smile as he said, "We won't hesitate to call you our family, so…you don't have to hesitate to call this your home. It _can_ be…if you want it to be. You're _welcome_ here, Arella. You…You don't have to be afraid to let your heart feel what it wants to. We won't reject you. I promise."

Silence passed. After a while, Ezra looked up to see tears falling down her face. But he knew they weren't tears of sorrow or of pain. Her beautiful smile assured him that they were tears of happiness, making him smile in return. At that moment, he realized that this sight was something he would never get tired of seeing. Looking at her, so happy and content, filled him with a feeling of warmth and of joy, greater than any he'd experienced in his life. And all he wanted to do was to hold on to that feeling, just hold on to it and never let it go.

TT

"They're here! They're here!"

A young man ran into a room filled with servants talking and chatting as they ate their late lunches. Everyone looked up as he came to a halt in front of them, overflowing with excitement.

"They're here! The Council! They're approaching the gate—Hey! Ow, _Ow! _Watch it!" he shouted as men and women hurriedly got up and rushed out, wanting to see the arrival of the important guests. One of them was a certain young man, think and lanky, a smirk on his face as he followed his fellow workers down the hall.

"Hey Isaiah!" another servant said as he came up beside him and clapped him on the back. "I bet _you're _excited about this, aren't you? Heh…can't _wait _to see what's gonna happen while they're here. Just gonna make more gossip to add to the fire." He laughed as he said, "Well, I'll see you later!" They separated, the other man disappearing into the crowd.

Isaiah's smirk grew bigger. Hell _yes _he was excited the Council was here. Ever since yesterday in the garden, he'd been anticipating their visit. 'Just wait 'till they hear what I have to tell them,' he'd thought as he sat in the kitchen the night before. 'They'll be so happy with me…They might even _reward _me for my _valuable_ information…'

He stopped as the people in front of him stopped, too. Pushing his way through to get a better look, he peered over a woman's shoulder to see the front doors open and the twelve members of the Council walk into the foyer. They were all men and women of different ages, from old and wrinkled to young and fair. They wore different styles of clothing, depending on where they were from. He spotted the Head of the Council, a tall man in his sixties with white stubble forming around his face. He had sky blue eyes that were kind yet frightening to look into. He'd been the Head for almost a decade now, and was good friends with Lady Azar, who he was speaking with right now, laughing and smiling. Though it wasn't _his _first visit, it was the first time the entire Council was staying at the palace, so everyone there was eager yet nervous.

Suddenly someone tapped him on the shoulder. Turning around he came face to face with a short, round woman wearing a white apron over a beige dress. She had a little bit of flour on her face and in her hair, which was in a bun, and was holding a covered basket.

"Isaiah," she started, sounding worried. "I need to hurry down to the market…would you mind going up to the fourth floor and getting a recipe book I left up there? Just go down the left hall, it's in the last room on your right." He nodded as she said a quick "thank you" and gave him a peck on the cheek. She made her way through to the front doors, nodding to Lady Azar and the Council, who greeted her in return.

Taking one last look at the Council, he turned and pushed his way out. Quickly, he walked away, around the corner, to the other grand staircase at the opposite end of the palace, outside the huge double doors that lead to the enormous dining room. Not in a rush, he climbed the stairs slowly, thinking about tonight. His plan was simple, nothing complicated or out of the ordinary, it was just him doing what he did best…or second best: sucking up to very important people. All he needed was their attention, for them to notice and remember him. Then, hopefully, the rest would be easy.

'They'll be so pleased with me,' Isaiah thought. 'They might even _reward_ me for my information…' Greed shone in his eyes for a moment at that idea. He wasn't usually one to go after things like that…their attention and acknowledgement was good enough for him, but this was _the Council_. Things were on a whole new level with them around.

Finally, he reached the fourth floor, which of course was empty. Turning left, he padded down the long carpet that ran down the hall, put there to make things more silent for guests. The young man reached the end, and he was about to turn the doorknob to his right, but certain noises stopped him in his tracks. Spinning around, he faced the door behind him, opposite the one he was supposed to go in. His eyes narrowed as he listened closely. 'Is that a…'

Pushing his ear up to the door, he heard what confirmed his thoughts. It was the sound of two people speaking quietly and…the dying, but still present, cries of a baby.

'The gem…' Finding that it was unlocked, Isaiah pushed the door open just a crack to look into the room. He saw Carmine, one of the younger servants, sitting in a big armchair, holding the baby, who had stopped crying and was falling asleep, in her arms. Delya's younger sister, Rhea ('That brat,' he thought) was laying on her stomach on the floor, smiling at the sight of the cute infant.

"…I still don't see why we can't let Arella see the baby," said Carmine.

"My sister said that it's all because they're worried she might do something," answered Rhea as she played with a lock of her hair. "They don't want her to mess up their plans."

The woman scoffed. "_What _plans?" she said. "It's not like there's anything for her to screw up."

"Yeah, well…there _will be_ soon. Lady Azar will probably think of something before this week is over. But it might be difficult with the Council being here, too…"

"And that, too!" Carmine piped up. "Why do we have to hide her from the Council? I mean, wouldn't they be a big help to deal with this?"

"I _know_…I was thinking about that, too," Rhea said. "But Hayden told me that the Council's better off not knowing for now. Something about how government messes up things even more when they try to get involved and butt their nose into other people's business."

"_Other people's business?_" Carmine said in disbelief. "This is _everyone's _business! We all know about the prophecy…and I really don't think the end of the world is just 'other people's--'"

"Okay, okay, I get it!" Rhea butted in, stopping Carmine from going on another of her angry rants. 'My God,' she thought in her mind. 'She's so _different _when she's not around Lady Azar or anyone like that…the _snake_ comes out in hiding.' She laughed in her mind at her own joke.

"Sorry," Carmine apologized. "I didn't mean to shout at you, it's just that…sometimes Lady Azar makes decisions that just don't make sense to me."

Rhea nodded, agreeing. "I know…but with her, things usually work out in the end, no matter how messed up or weird the beginning is, right?"

"Yeah. That's what's good about the Lady, why people like her. She never lets you down."

For a moment, it was silent…then Carmine spoke again. "Still…I feel _sorry _for this baby." Rhea looked up. "She'll grow up without a mother, without her family. Even though she's the gem, it still is…kind of sad."

Rhea stared at the baby then said, "I feel the same way about it, too. I know how…_horrible _it is to grow up without a mother." Carmine could hear the pain in her voice, but chose not to push the subject as the girl continued. "But…there's nothing we can do now. We decided not to look back when we told Arella her baby was _dead._ And…I don't know how she'd feel if we told her that her daughter is going to end the world anyway, so…like my sister says 'We have to make sacrifices in life. For there to be happiness, there first has to be pain.' I guess that…by doing this, we'll be saving _everyone else's _happiness."

"But…it's still sad for it to have to be like this," said Carmen.

Rhea cast her eyes to the floor. "…I know."

Isaiah closed the door. He had heard enough. Quickly, he made his way into the other room, grabbed the book filled with recipes off a desk, and went back downstairs. He dropped it off to the round woman, who was busy in the kitchen, and then went past the glass door into the courtyard garden. It was peaceful and quiet, completely empty. He walked down the path 'till he came to an empty bench where he sat down. Picking a flower from a nearby bush, he breathed in its sweet smell and smiled. A ruthless, malevolent smile.

"So…_Arella,_ huh?"

TT

"How _beautiful_…"

One of the Council members said this as Lady Azar led the twelve guests into the dining room. For the past couple weeks, the palace servants had spent hour after hour finding and making materials and decorating the walls, windows, chairs, and the long dining table. They had used the colors of the city, gold, white, and sapphire, in everything, from the curtains to the napkins to the flowers in porcelain vases. The tablecloth was decades old; It had been sewn _by hand _by the first high priestess of the Eastern Corner when she'd made her home in Diadelle. The usual dishware had been replaced with their finest, painted with such intricate patterns and precise detail that they were considered pieces of art. The glasses shone like crystal, with small sapphire gems inlaid in their slender stems. Every item, every piece of decoration was placed in a certain, exact spot. It was all planned out, organized, set to be perfect to impress and gain respect from the Council.

And so far, it was working.

"Azar, old friend, you never fail to impress us," said the leader of the Council as he took the seat at the head of the table offered to him by one of the servants.

"Everything so far has been wonderful, I couldn't have asked for more," commented another member, a woman with black hair pinned up in a bun.

"I'm glad to hear that," said Azar. "And I'm sure you'll be even more content when you taste our chief's delicious cooking."

"I can't wait to!" said an older man as the servants began to bring in the first course.

The woman with her hair in a bun, after thanking one of the servants, said, "Azar, your helpers are so good at what they do! So polite and kind...and they've never failed to meet any of my requests!"

The high priestess smiled. "I know. I really am grateful for them. They're such wonderful people…I can always count on them to do their jobs and come through for me in the end. None of what I do would be possible without their help."

"You are very fortunate to find people like this," said the Head of the Council as he helped himself to some chicken. "And I must say that--"

"Excuse me sir, but would you like some wine?"

He looked up to see a thin young man holding a bottle of wine, an odd smile on his face, as he waited for his choice. "Oh, um…thank you, but I think I'll settle with water for tonight, if that's okay."

"It's no trouble at all." He went back into the kitchen with the bottle after asking the other Council members if they would like wine.

The Head looked back at him, watching, then turned around and asked, "Azar…who was that young man, the one who was just standing here?"

She looked up. "Oh, his name is Isaiah. A very dedicated worker, but not very sociable, if you understand what I mean. And sometimes he finds it hard to mind his own business, but he does what needs to be done whenever you ask."

The Head nodded. The look on the boy's face was very peculiar, as if he knew something big, something important that he didn't know himself, but as the Head, should. It made him curious yet suspicious of the young man, and when Isaiah came back with the water and was pouring it into their glasses, he eyed him warily. If he knew what the older man was doing, Isaiah didn't show it, more like _ignored_ it as he smiled at everyone including the Head and disappeared into the kitchen.

'Should keep an eye on him,' thought the Head as he ate.

The meal continued on, filled with chatter and laughter. Every once in a while a few servants came in, asking if they needed anything in particular. Isaiah showed up the most, always with that strange smile on. Out of all the Council members, it was the Head that he was at the side of the most, something that the man found a bit unnerving. Still, he acted polite towards him, which he received in return.

By the end of the dinner, everyone was full, happy, and content. Azar bid the Council good night as she left the table and went out of the room, heading upstairs to her study. As one of servants, a middle-aged woman, came out of the kitchen to help clear the dishes, the Head asked her if they had any azalian tea available. She nodded and said, "We do…I'll send one of the servants to bring it to you, my Lord."

He thanked her, and then led the Council out of the dining room to the grand staircase in the foyer. Up they went to the sitting room on the fifth floor. It was a large room, filled with furniture of dark colors, giving off a strict, proper, makes-you-wanna-stand-up-straight feeling. The long, heavy curtains were closed, hiding the large windows that stretched from the ceiling to the floor. The hardwood floors were polished and clean and were always kept that way. A fire was crackling in the fireplace, practically the only source of light in the room. The large armchairs and couches were made of leather, and most were circled around the fireplace, where the Council members went and sat down. Light conversation settled among the twelve; most were too tired from the day's business…some were already starting to yawn.

"…Thought it was excellent. Wasn't the food delicious, Fabyan?" asked a woman with long brown hair to the man on her left.

He nodded. "Yes…I especially loved the dessert! That cake was delicious, and had most of my favorite fruits! I should have asked who made it…I would've thanked them personally…"

"...And I honestly do agree with her. For a priestess, Azar has some strong views on this planet's government," said a man to another who was double his age.

"Yes, well, the way things are going nowadays, everyone has their own opinion on how things are run here. But I, too, agree with her. We should just have one strong government for the whole planet instead of four divided ones. It would be a lot easier to actually work together instead of fighting among ourselves."

"…Couldn't even find the bathroom. I mean, this place is just so _big_. If I was here alone, I'd be lost the first minute I stepped in the door!" complained a young man with short, brown hair.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Poor Seidan, wandering around for half an hour looking for the _rest room_," teased another man about his age sitting across from him. "Aren't you lucky I found you before you were about to--"

"Don't need to know that!" he cut him off, blushing red.

A woman who was old enough to be their mother rolled her eyes at them. "Sometimes I can't understand why you two are even _on _this Council..."

"Well aren't we fortunate enoughto have been born with such _high_ levels of intelligence?" grinned one of the young men.

"Well if you would just _use _it more often…" she muttered.

Suddenly, the doors to the sitting room opened, and everyone looked up to see who it was. The servant the woman had sent up entered, holding a large pot of boiling tea and a tray with two stacks of teacups. The Head's eyes narrowed. 'It's _him _again…'

"I have the azalian tea you requested, my Lord," said Isaiah, head bowed in respect. The Head stood, and the young man looked up. The smile wasn't exactly _present_ on his face, but the Head could tell that it was itching to appear once again. He took a few steps forward, closer to him.

"…Thank you, young man," said the older, taking the pot and tray from him, setting it down on a table in the midst of the chairs and couches. Isaiah nodded. Before the rest of the Council members were about to go back to their little discussions, the servant spoke up.

"…Um, my Lord, if you do not mind, I was…hoping to be able to speak to you tonight. To all of you."

Once again the chatter died down, and all attention was brought back to him. "…Go on, we're waiting," said the Head, watching him with suspicion.

He took a breath before continuing. "I…I know you do not know me, that you probably think I am just a common palace servant. But…but I think I have some information that would be of…_great _interest to you."

The Council members' curiosity rose as he continued. "Yesterday, while I was in the palace's courtyard garden, I…_overheard_ a conversation between Lady Azar and two palace servants, and _another _came up today. I think that the _subject _of their discussion will greatly concern you, and make you wonder why this was hidden from you, of all people…"

The twelve stared, the stern gaze in their eyes unsettling. For a moment it was silent…then one of the members spoke. "Why should we believe _you? _What if this is just some story made up to get all of our attention?"

Isaiah almost laughed out loud. "_Believe_ me, my Lady, this is no lie. And if you continue to believe that, I am sure you will _regret_ it in the years to come."

Before another Council member could speak, the Head stopped him. What he saw in his eyes cast aside his doubt and made him believe it was true. He gestured toward an empty chair and said, "Come, Isaiah, and tell us what you know. I have a strong feeling that this isn't just another one of your people's 'topics of gossip'…"

**...So. How was it? Please, _please_ tell me, I need to know! All you have to do is click on that little button down there, and REVIEW! **

**Oh, and let me tell you now: Don't get too used to Arella being in the story. She's taking her leave soon…and another certain girl will be in the spotlight…**


	8. Seven: Protect You Part II

**Welcome back! (Sigh) Yes…I'm **_**incredibly **_**sorry for taking so long…once again. But I've just been…busy with school. And now that it's summer, I should have loads of time to do it, but now I'm in summer school, and I have other things to do at home, and it's just been **_**oh so hectic**_** here…**

…**okay, okay, I'll stop making excuses! Just blame it all on that deadly sin, SLOTH. Yes I've been lazy. Very lazy. But here it is, the next chapter! (finally) I seriously planned for it to be longer, longer than all my past chapters, but I decided to stop so I could post this up already!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own it. Blah.**

**Read on…**

The Caged Bird

Chapter Seven: Protect You Part II

"…We have to dust _all _of them?"

Hayden asked this as he watched Delya take out a couple of rags, two dusters, and a bottle of some kind of cleaning spray from a box. She placed them on top of a nearby table, clear of everything that had been on it the day before. She turned around. "_Yes_, you have to do all of it. And I don't want any complaining."

"But, Delya!" whined Rhea. "Look at all the stuff that's in there! It'll take us the whole _day _to finish!" She pointed at all the little trinkets, statues and decorations that looked like it'd just been stuffed into the tall, glass door cabinet. It was filled with color. Some looked new, some seemed to be decades old. Some were chipped, some were cracked, some had scratches and marks. They were all different, collected from places all over the world. And usually, the girl would be more than happy to sit and look at each one, but having to _clean _each one…that was another story.

"Well then you'd better start now," replied Delya to her sister's protest. Hayden gave her a "you've gotta be kidding me" look, but she just gave him a "don't give me attitude, just _do it" _look in return. He was about to say something anyway when another servant came towards them from down the hall.

"Delya!" he said as he walked over. "I've been looking for you _everywhere_…and you know how much _that_ says in a place this big…"

She moved away from the two younger ones. "What is it?" she asked.

"It's the Council. They sent me to look for you. Something about some meeting they're having up in the third floor meeting room. They asked Lady Azar to come, too, and Ezra."

She looked at him, confused. "What is this…_for,_ exactly?"

He shrugged. "Dunno…they didn't tell me about it, just to go get you and Ezra. But I can't find him, and I _swear_ I looked everywhere…"

Delya turned to her sister and Hayden. "Hey, do you guys know where Ezra is?"

They looked up from their cleaning. Rhea shook her head. Hayden thought for a moment, then said, "Oh yeah…I forgot. He's down at the market, said he was gonna go buy some fresh veggies that the cook needed."

Delya thanked him as the servant, pissed about wasting his time looking around the whole palace when Ezra wasn't even in it, bid them goodbye as he stomped off to do other tasks. After making sure they were fine, she too left and went downstairs. As she entered the foyer, the front doors opened and coincidentally, the person she was looking for came back from his little shopping trip.

'Thank God I don't have to go all the way down there,' she thought as she called him over.

"Ezra, we need to go to the third floor, to the meeting room. The Council's having a meeting there…what about, I don't know. But I do know that they want _us _present, for some reason…"

He nodded and, after delivering the stuff to the kitchen, went up the stairs with Delya. As they walked, he asked her, "Have you, um, by any chance, seen Arella today? The last time I saw her was yesterday in the sitting room, and I was kind of, you know--"

"Don't worry about her," she cut in. "I'm sure she's _fine_…You can't get into much trouble around here anyway. She's probably down in the garden… nothing to get all excited about. I mean," she almost laughed. "The way you act about her, it makes me think you like her in a _different way_ from the rest of us, if you get what I mean."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Ezra tripped on the stairs. He would've fallen if Delya hadn't grabbed his arm just in time and steadied him. He muttered a small "thanks" and continued on, not looking back to see if she was following or not. Stunned, Delya stood there for a moment, realizing what just happened.

Her eyes widened.

Quickly she took the steps two at a time to catch up with him. "Ezra," she said as she finally was by his side once again. "Ezra, do you really--?"

"_Yes, _okay?" he said impatiently, out of annoyance and embarrassment. "I do…_really, _I do. There. I said it. It's done, over with, end of story. Now can we _please _just hurry up and get to the meeting room?"

Not saying another word, Delya just nodded and smiled. A kind…yet _mocking _smile. Ezra rolled his eyes as she laughed, and the two hurried on up to the third floor.

As they reached their destination and walked down the hall, Ezra said, "Delya…_please _don't tell anyone, okay? One, because I don't want to be made fun of, and two, because gossip spreads here as fast as a forest fire."

"Don't worry, I won't tell…promise." They continued on in silence…'till Delya began laughing again. Ezra hit her. "_Delya_…I'm serious. Please, don't--"

"Okay, okay, I won't, seriously." They walked up to the dark, wooden double doors at the end of the hall. "But trust me, if other people find out, it won't be my fault," she said as she knocked. "You make it obvious enough on you own."

Before he could respond, the doors opened. Looking up at the scene in front of them, the smiles on both their faces immediately disappeared. The mood of the room was dark and serious. The long curtains were all drawn, covering the windows and blocking out the sun. The fireplace was the only source of light. The main piece of furniture was the long, wooden table in the center of the room, with chairs along both sides and one at the head of the table, currently occupied by the Head of the Council. The Council members and Azar occupied the rest of the chairs. No one was smiling.

"Come in," said the Head as they walked into the room. The two took seats next to Lady Azar, nodding to her. She nodded in return as the Head spoke again.

"For those present who are unaware of the purpose of this meeting," he was looking at Delya and Ezra. "I will explain. Last night after dinner, we were approached by a certain young man, Isaiah, a servant at this palace. He apparently had importantinformation he wanted to discuss with us, information that would be 'of great interest'. So we let him speak, and we listened." Here his face darkened. "And let me just say that this Council is _not happy_ with what we have heard."

Delya and Ezra looked at each other. The same thought was running through their head. 'What happened, and what does this have to do with me?' Azar's face was blank of emotion. If she was worried or scared, she didn't show it.

He continued. "The young man brought our attention to a certain matter that has been going on behind our backs. A matter of great importance, a matter that, if not dealt with urgently and _correctly,_ will bring suffering and despair to everyone in this world." Azar's eyes narrowed slightly at what he was implying, while the eyes of the two beside her did the exact opposite.

'Oh my God,' they both thought, mouths opened slightly in shock. 'They _know…_'

For a minute, the Head stared at the priestess, studying her face for signs of what she was thinking, of what she was _feeling._ But she held strong. Getting nowhere, he sighed. Giving up, he turned to the other two. Seeing their expressions, he said, "Well, by the look on your faces, I can see you know exactly what Isaiah told us." He watched them, until another member of the Council spoke.

"You can imagine our surprise at hearing the young man talk about the prophecy and the gem," she said. "Not to mention our utter _shock _at finding out the child was here, inside these very walls." Here she focused her gaze on Lady Azar. "But I for one am still astonished that this whole matter was kept from us at all! We are the _Council, _and we surely _deserve _to know things like this! It's preposterous to even _think_ for one second about concealing such a crisis from—"

"Teresa," another Council member warned. He gave her a look to tell her that was enough. "If any of you have _personal problems_ with this, then please, take care of it at some other time. We didn't meet here to have a little venting session for you to shout your hatred at each other." After staring around the table at each person, he continued. "What we came here to do was to take care of this problem. We have to think of a plan, something to calm the fire down and keep things peaceful for as long as we can. Now I think you can all at least agree with me on that subject?"

Slowly but surely, everyone nodded. "Good. Now I think the best way to start this is to get everything laid out on the table. Not everyone here knows the whole story of what happened." Turning to the two at Azar's side he said, "I think you both can take care of that."

Ezra looked at Delya. She bit her lip before standing and turning towards the rest of the Council. She began, "Well…everything started about a month ago. My friend here, Ezra, a young boy Hayden, my younger sister Rhea, and myself were just returning from traveling to the West, on errands for Lady Azar. I-It was a stormy night; the winds were howling around us and the rain was pounding mercilessly upon our heads. We were desperately trying to find shelter when we stumbled upon a cave…"

TT

"Wow. I feel sorry for you two."

Hayden and Rhea looked up to see Arella standing there, one hand on her hip. The look in her eyes showed she didn't really have pity for them. It was more like she was laughing at their misery. Hayden frowned while Rhea stuck out her tongue. This time the young woman laughed out loud while Rhea complained, "You're so lucky you don't have to do any of this _cleaning,_ Arella. You can just go all over the palace and do whatever you like!"

She smiled at the girl. "Yes, I am pretty fortunate to not have to do that. But I have to admit," she paused to sigh and stretch her arms above her head. "I'm…pretty bored right now. I haven't really done much all day. And well, I _was _going to ask you if you needed any…._assistance_ with your chores. But seeing your sour attitudes made me have doubts about helping you out." Hayden glared at Rhea who just shrugged her shoulders and sheepishly said, "What?"

"Oh," started Arella. "I forgot to ask. I was wondering if you guys knew where Ezra is. I have a book I borrowed from him, and I just wanted to return it."

"Well isn't he popular?" Hayden muttered. Arella raised an eyebrow. "You're the second person to ask us that today," he told her. "Earlier, some guy came here and Delya asked us the same thing. I think the two of them are up on the third floor, in some meeting with the Council and Lady Azar."

She frowned. 'What would they want with them?' she questioned. Shaking her head of the thought, she turned around and headed down the hall. Seeing her leave, Hayden called out, "Hey, you're not _actually _gonna leave us here, are you? I thought you were nice…"

She turned around. Smirking she said, "I'm going downstairs to kitchen to get a snack. Then maybe, _possibly_ I'll change my mind about helping you guys…all depends on my mood." Walking away, she suppressed her laughter as their moans echoed in the empty corridor.

TT

"So let me get this straight." One of the Council members, a middle aged man with dark hair, said this after Delya and Ezra had told them the entire story. "The four of you took this woman and her baby with you on your way back to Diadelle being _fully aware_ of the fact that the child was the _gem?_ The child of the _prophecy?_ "

Guilty, both nodded their heads. "And from the very beginning, you just _assumed _that Lady Azar would be able to deal with this? That, like with _all _your other problems, she'd just magically make them _disappear?_"

Ezra glared at him. "That isn't what we—"

"It's a yes or no question." He waited for an answer. Slowly, Delya nodded yes. Ezra sighed, then caught Azar's eyes drop to the floor. He looked at her sadly as the man continued.

"Did you not even _think_ about who this woman was before you invited her on your little _trip?_ Did you not even _consider_ contacting Lady Azar first before you _dropped_ this baby on her doorstep? This isn't just some little…predicament that you can solve in a matter of days! This is the _prophecy_ we're talking about! The _end_ of the _world! _Since the death of King Galvion, everyone on this planet has been panicking about what to do about this. Do you even _realize_ how important, how crucial it is to deal with this in the right way? Billions will _die,_ and because of what you did to _mess this up,_ their deaths may come quicker and at a time when we least—"

"Will you just stop already!?" shouted one of the younger Council members. He quickly brushed away his short brown hair that had fallen in front of his face as he had stood. "They're only human, just like you, me, and everyone else in here! They just did what they thought was _right._ They just did the only thing they thought they _could_ do. I'm sure that if you were in their place, you probably would have done the same thing, too. So just stop yelling at them. Besides, you're forgetting what we're here for. And it's not to get pissed off at people who don't deserve to hear any of your bull—"

"Oh, please Seidan," he snapped back. He, too, was standing. "I don't need to be lectured by the likes of you. I know what I know and those two," he pointed at Delya and Ezra. "Have _ruined _our chances of trying at the very least to make this situation better. In fact, all they've done is made things _worse._"

"_Philippe,_" warned the Head of the Council. "I'm telling you this once and only once. If you act like that to anyone in this room or to a single person involved in this matter again,you'll find yourself _off_ of this Council before you can even _blink_. I can promise you that. So watch yourself." Philippe remained standing for a few seconds, glaring at Seidan…then eventually sat back down in his chair. Once everyone was settled, they began again.

"So," The Head said, slowly. "Now that we all at last know the _whole_ story, we can continue on with our most pressing matter: the issue of the child." Here it was completely silent. It seemed as if just simply bringing this up subdued everyone at the table. 'Thank Hemora they've finally shut up,' he thought before going on.

"First, I would like to know if anyone here has any ideas on what we should do about this. Mind you, this must be handled with discreetly at first; if you _must _let someone know, please make sure that it is absolutely necessary and will not hinder our plans in any way."

"Well, wouldn't it be simple to just keep the child in hiding?" asked a woman with long brown hair. "We could send people to watch over her. It's the easiest way to do it in my opinion."

"Yeah, but you can't just have everything be 'problem-free', you know?" said a young man, Seidan's good friend on the Council. "Plus, if you just keep the kid in some 'out of sight' place, what if it, you know, _escapes? _Then what? Things would just be even more screwed up…"

"I've got to admit," started another man. "For once, he's actually made a good point. We can't just put the gem away in the middle of nowhere. We need to keep it in a place we can find, a place that won't be difficult to get to. I suggest that we send her not into hiding, but into one of the other corners, somewhere safe and secluded from the public but not beyond our view."

"Did you not _hear_ what the Head just made clear?" said a woman with graying hair that was known to snap at anyone. "It has to be dealt with _discreetly_, meaning that we can't let those self absorbed, impolite, detached _introverts_ have anything to do with this! Especially not those pompous Western _fools_…"

She looked at each person at the table. "We absolutely cannot involve the other corners in this matter. Just imagine how they will _react._ Not only will there be shock. There will also be anger…hatred…they'll be _appalled_ by the fact that this was hidden from them at all." While she said this, the Head looked sadly at Azar, whose eyes were cast down, hands folded on her lap, her face blank. It went unnoticed as the woman continued.

"Now yes, the news of this will have to be broken to them _eventually._ But believe me when I say that now is _not_ the time. We, right here, right now, must deal with this. Trouble must be calmed and put to rest until we can let the rest of Azarath know about the gem. It has to be _controlled._ If not, if we just let them in, things will surely end up worse than how they had begun." The woman sat back in her chair, her little speech finished. Her words had made many in the room think differently, more in-depth about the situation.

It was quiet until a woman with black hair pinned up in a bun spoke. "Then…what should we do?" she asked.

A few Council members looked at each other, as if to say "I don't know…what about you?" Some began conversing with their neighbors about the problem. Others were writing down notes and ideas on scrap pieces of paper. It was the one thing on everyone's mind at the moment. The one question left unanswered. What where they going to do about it?

"…Isn't it obvious?"

Everyone looked up. All eyes were on a man with curly black hair, his hard gaze directed down at the table. "Isn't it just…so _obvious?_" he asked again. No one spoke.

"…I just…I don't know why this hasn't been brought up yet," he said. "It's the clearest plan to anyone who had to decide on what to do about this. The first choice out of a list of options. The best answer to the baffling question—"

"Your plan may be obvious to _you,_" cut in the woman with graying hair, impatience clear in her voice. "But I think it's obvious to everyone that we have no idea what this plan of yours is. So please, just be quick and tell us all about this wonderful idea that we should so _obviously_ know, as you insist on putting it."

He said nothing at first. Everyone waited. Then, "…We should just kill the child."

Several people gasped. Delya's eyes widened in shock. Some looked at the man as if he had just said the palace was about to explode. The Head's expression hadn't changed. He expected him to say this; the idea had also popped into his head earlier, but he dismissed it as soon as it had come. Yes, they were desperate to settle the matter, but not enough to take the life of a _child._

"Are you _mad?_" asked another council member. "We could _never_ do that. Killing a baby…it's absurd!" A few nodded in agreement.

"I beg your pardon, but it really isn't as 'absurd' as you think it is," said the man who had brought up the subject. "Why can't you all see that this is the _right _thing to do? We're trying to save everyone, to save Azarath, correct? So _this_ is the best way to do it! Getting rid of the gem gets rid of the problem _once and for all_. No prophecy to worry about, no 'end of the world' to spread concern. It will all be _over._"

"That may seem right to _you,_" said the woman with graying hair. "But just think about it. Do you really assume that solution will make the situation _disappear?_ Trigon isn't as stupid as you seem to think he is. Just because we take out his precious _gem_ doesn't mean that we'll prevent him from taking over the _world_. Trigon is one of the four greatest evils of _Hell_. He's been trapped in the Netherverse for centuries, ever since the creation of Azarath. Doing this won't stop him. He'll just continue with his plans some other way, and in the end, we'll all just end up _dead._"

"So what do you _propose_ we do?" Philippe asked in anger. "Just _wait _'till he comes and destroys us?"

"Am I hearing you correctly?" asked Seidan, astonishment and disgust on his face. "You're _actually_ siding with him? You have absolutely no problem whatsoever with taking this girl's _life?_ How heartless can you be!"

"I never _said_ I was on his side!" he yelled back. "Get your facts straight before you go _accusing_ anyone of something they didn't do--!"

"Oh sure, we get this from the guy who was doing the _exact same thing_ ten minutes ago," Seidan's friend said sarcastically. "Stop being a _hypocrite,_ Philippe, it really isn't helping the situation—"

"So is your _arguing,_" cut in a middle aged man, obviously irritated. "Do I have to say this again? We didn't come here to spend an hour yelling and screaming at each other. We came here to _solve_ this. So you three just _knock it off _and calm yourselves _down_ so we can actually _accomplish_ something at this meeting." Most of the people at the table nodded, a few glaring at Philippe. He grumbled but sat down for the second time.

"…So," started the Head, yet again. "I think it is clear that this...idea is out of the question. We won't go so far as to kill a person, especially a newborn _child. _Our goal is to stop Trigon, to prevent the murder of the human race. Not for a _second_ will it ever be right to do the same. We can't condemn someone of having blood on their hands when we have it on our own."

The man with curly black hair, the one who had started this, glared down at the table as they listened to the Head speak. No one noticed. No one saw the fire that was steadily growing in his eyes, the flame that would soon turn into a _raging inferno._

TT

"Now I can breathe," muttered Ezra as he ran a hand through his short black hair. He and Delya were outside, on the third floor balcony. Delya leaned forward on the balustrade, her elbows supporting her, arms hanging over the edge, hands clasped together. Ezra's back was to their surroundings, elbows propped up, leaning back on them, one leg crossed over the other.

"Just be thankful they gave us a short break," said Delya as she looked down on the beautiful palace grounds.

"I know…" He stared at nowhere in particular, thinking. Both were silent until, "…I don't know about this, Delya."

Not looking up, her voice distant, she asked, "What's wrong?"

He didn't respond for a few seconds…then, "I can't really explain it. It's like…I just feel something's not right about this. This whole meeting, getting the Council involved—"

"But we never got them involved," cut in Delya, still sounding like her mind was in a different place. She was looking far away, towards the ocean, the shoreline going on and on, as if it would never end. "Isaiah told them about it in the first place."

Ezra's eyes narrowed. "That little snake," he said in a low, deadly voice. "We should've _known_ he was sneaking around here, spying on us. He can never mind his own business…and when he gets a hold of someone else's, he can never stop from spreading it around, even if it hurts someone! I just can't believe he went to the Council and betrayed Lady Azar like—"

"They got themselves involved."

Ezra turned his head towards her, confused. "…W-What?"

"The Council. It was no one else's fault. They got themselves involved." And she said no more on the matter.

The two stood in silence, both lost in their deepest thoughts. Servants were at work all around the palace, busy getting their jobs done. The bird's chirping sailed through the air as they flew away. The wind was light and breezy, just rustling the leaves of the nearest trees. The waves hit the distant shore, over and over again.

Ezra finally looked up to see people roaming down the hall, to the pair of dark, wooden doors at the end. "We should head back," he said as he stood up straight. Delya finally turned around to look at him. "The meeting's probably starting. We can't keep them waiting again." Slowly she nodded and followed him inside, back into the room where they all were trying to change the world while outside, the world was changing without them.

TT

As the last few people returned inside and the doors were shut, everyone began to get settled in, preparing to have to sit through even more yelling and screaming. The Head waited until they all stopped moving and it was quiet before he spoke.

"Now that we're all here," he began. "We can finish the topic we were…heatedly discussing half an hour ago. I think we can all agree when I say that we are _not_ killing the gem. So…" he turned to everyone at the table. "What else can we do?"

No one answered. The Head looked around the room, at each person. Some shook their heads, others were in thought. A few were looking across at other people to see what they were thinking. It seemed as if nobody had an idea about what to do, or if they did, they had no intention of saying it out loud for fear of starting up the arguing once again.

When the silence didn't seem to ever end, the Head finally broke it. "Well. You all are at a loss for words? Amazing…I never thought I'd see the day." He chuckled softly before becoming serious again. "After watching you talk and at times, shout about this problem, I've come to a conclusion on what should be done. I don't think the child should be hurt. She shouldn't be taken away, she shouldn't be hidden, she shouldn't even be _handled_ with. I think that the best thing to do would be to just…leave the gem with Azar. Here, at the palace."

A few looked at him, confused. Some didn't react at all. But there was one lady in particular who was very shocked indeed about his plan. It was the same lady who, at the beginning of the meeting, had criticized Lady Azar on her actions and her decision on keeping this matter away from the Council. She had been, and still was, incredibly upset about this being hidden from them at all. She thought it was horrible for the high priestess to do this because she believed it was their right and duty as the Council to know everything that was going on not because she was being nosy (as some assumed she was) but to help solve problems and settle issues. So of course she was astounded when she heard the Head say that they should _leave _the gem in Lady Azar's care. Personally, she thought the idea was ridiculous and just plain _stupid_.

"But my Lord," she started. "Why do you think that…that this is the best thing that should be done?"

"Well…simply because of the fact that this solves the problem from every angle, for now at least, until we can think of something better later on."

"…I don't think I understand."

"I just feel that this would keep everything calm for a while, giving us time to think of a better solution," explained the Head. "Everyone would benefit. We wouldn't have to worry about the gem; she'd be in the East, not in another Corner, and she'd be here with Azar, who I know we can all trust. The palace is one of the safest places on this planet; Trigon wouldn't dare to attack recklessly. And…" He paused. "Growing up here, with other people, instead of in isolation would give the child a chance to…to have a normal life, or one as close to normal as we can give her. It wouldn't make her feel like she's so…different from everyone else." He looked at each person on the Council. "So I really do think this is what's best, for _everyone_. And I hope you all will consider this before tossing it aside so quickly." He sat back in his chair and waited for a response.

There was a heavy silence in the room as the Head's words sank in. Some hadn't thought much of his idea when he'd first proposed it, but as he had explained it through, they'd found they liked it more and more. Now, sitting there, they really thought that this idea _was _the best thing to do. After a while, one of the Council members spoke.

"I don't think I'm the only here who sees something in this idea," he stated. "So, I suggest we have a vote. If you support this and think it's what we should do, raise your right hand."

The Head looked around the room. A few people had their hands up in the air. But slowly, one by one, more and more people raised their hands until nearly everyone had lifted up their right hand.

"Well then, it's settled," said the Council member as he turned to the Head. "The child shall stay in Diadelle." Many were smiling, glad that it was finally over. Some gathered up loose papers, yawning. A few were starting to stand up and leave before the Head said, "Don't go. We aren't finished yet."

Almost everyone looked up at him like he was crazy. "But," started a woman with long brown hair. "I thought that was all we came here to discuss? We were just deciding what to do about the gem, right?" Many agreed with her, saying "she's right," and "that's what I thought, too!"

He shook his head. "We still have something else to attend to," he said. "Something just as important." Everyone looked at him, confused, as he continued. "The gem isn't our only problem. We also have to figure out what to do about her mother." Ezra's head shot up. "We have to figure out what to do about that young lady…Arella, I believe?"

**This wasn't supposed to stop here. But when I looked at all that I planned to happen in this chapter, I just realized it wouldn't all fit. So yes, there will a ****Protect You, Part III****. And I can promise that it will be very long, if I'm going to try to fit everything in it. **

**But all that aside, how did you like this chapter? Was it okay? I really wasn't sure how it was going to turn out, but now that I finished it, I think it's actually pretty good. But that's just my opinion. I wanna know yours!!! So, please be kind and review!**


	9. Eight: Protect You Part III

**This is a long one, folks. Really. The longest chapter in this story so far. I've been working on it for the past two weeks, **_**straight. **_**I didn't have much else to do, so I worked on this, every night. And now it's DONE! Woo hoo!**

**I suggest that if you haven't in a while, go back and read chapters 6 and 7, Protect You Parts I & II.**** It may help to have a little…recap before you read this one. Because trust me, it's long.**

**I was really planning to update at least once more before the summer ended, but I didn't think it'd take this long to write this chapter. So I'm not sure when the next update will come. But I promise I **_**will **_**work on it when I have time.**

**Oh, and btw, if you want to know how things are going, like you know, get some updates on when I'm gonna put up a new chapter, then please **check out my profile every once in a while.** That's the spot to go to. I post a new update there every once in a while.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own it. How sad.**

**Okay, enough with the chatter, on with the drama!**

The Caged Bird

Chapter Eight: Protect You Part III

"_Your baby…it…she…didn't make it. She __died__ Arella. I…I'm so sorry…"_

She had forgotten.

On the day Delya had told her what happened, she broke down, right then and there. She let out everything she was feeling, into every sob, every cry. But that had been it. After that, the baby hadn't even crossed her mind, not once. Maybe it was the anxiety of moving to a new place, to the East. Maybe it was the fear of being rejected, of having to leave the place she felt was finally her home, or the scolding she had given herself for even having the nerve of calling this place her home. Maybe it was the happiness of spending time with these wonderful people, Delya, Hayden, Rhea, and Ezra. Whatever it was, it had taken her mind off of her child.

But the time had only delayed the pain.

It was back. Last night, she'd dreamt about that rainy day, when a life had suddenly come into this world…and had disappeared just as fast. She'd woken up in the middle of the night, tangled in the bed sheets. The rain was pouring as hard as it had been in her memory. For at least an hour, she'd just sat there, knees pulled to her chest, staring out the window at the drops of water running down the glass. It'd been hard to get back to sleep.

Now she was in an armchair, in the sitting room Rhea had brought her to yesterday. Everyone seemed to be busy today. So she was alone.

Usually she loved moments like these, when she could just enjoy the peace without anyone else disturbing her. But nowadays, she was starting to dislike these moments. It was always so quiet. And that gave her time to think. Today there was only one thing on her mind.

'How could I forget…?' The shame was gnawing at her, slowly eating her away. She stared at the ground. 'She's my daughter…my _baby_.' How horrible could she be? How cruel? 'She's passed on…' she bit her lip. 'But then…why does it feel like…' Her eyes narrowed, thinking. '…Why does it feel like…it's…not true?'

She flinched. What was she thinking? Of course she's dead, why wouldn't she be? And even if she wasn't, Delya and the others wouldn't lie to her. 'Ezra wouldn't lie to me,' she told herself. 'There's no way…'

She slumped down in her chair. 'Then that's it…' She didn't want to accept it…she didn't want to accept it and move on…but…

'I have to,' she thought. 'Or else, I won't get anywhere…' She shut her eyes. Her grip on the armchair tightened, her knuckles becoming paler.

'She's dead.' Plain and simple. The only thing left to say. 'She's gone…forever.'

The sun was high in the sky, making it a beautiful, soft, lavender color. Light shone into the room, upon all the paintings and furniture, giving them a comforting yet lonely glow.

TT

_Ezra looked up and watched her trying to make her hair stay in place. A small smile spread on his face at seeing her annoyed to no end. He decided to help her out and grabbed one of the blue and gold flowers she'd collected and, kneeling close to her, stuck it behind her ear, trapping her stray hair. Arella's hand dropped, not being needed anymore. The young man sat down and his smile grew bigger as he saw her slightly blush._

"…_T-thank you, Ezra," she muttered as she looked away._

_He almost wanted to laugh. She looked so cute. "You're welcome," he replied. His eyes left her for a—_

"Ezra!" He blinked. Delya was shaking him slightly, trying to get his attention. "Ezra, wake up!"

"Nnn…I _am _awake," he muttered, brushing her arm off. He looked up to see the Council arguing with each other once again. Sighing, he leaned back in his chair but suddenly sat up as he listened to what they were saying.

"Are you sure this is absolutely necessary?" asked a woman with long brown hair. "The way I see it, she's entirely innocent...she didn't ask for this to--"

"I know," said the Head. "But we can't let her roam free out here. We need to keep an eye on her." He looked around the table. "She's more important than most of you seem to think. This young woman is the mother of the gem. If she was ever to find out her child was still alive…" he trailed off. He sighed. "I think most of you can guess what will probably happen," he finished.

"Then this really is what's best for everyone," said a man in his twenties. The Head nodded.

"But then…how are we suppose to do it?" asked Seidan.

The Head paused, staring at Delya and Ezra for a moment before speaking. "I…" he stopped. Slowly he tried again. "We…want to get past this as quickly as possible. Yes, it's _essential, _but it's not our main focus. The gem is. So I have been…thinking about it. And I decided that…the easiest way to keep the young woman out of this would be to…make it seem like this never happened." He swallowed. "We need to make her forget."

"NO!"

Everyone turned. Ezra had shot out of his seat, hands flat on the table. He stared at the Head in disbelief. "Y-You can't," he insisted. "It's…it's not _fair_…"

"Ezra," whispered Delya, but he didn't hear her.

The Head looked at him, sadly. "I know you've grown close to her," he said. "Azar has already told me. But you need to understand--"

"No, _you_ need to understand," Ezra said, cutting him off. A few of the Council members looked at him in shock, but he didn't care. "She has _nothing _to do with this. It's not her fault that she got dragged into this mess. A mistake. That's all it was. And believe me when I say that she regrets it, she regrets allowing herself to be fooled by…by _him_." A few cringed at the mention of the demon.

"Don't do this to her," he begged. "Don't punish her for--"

"Young man, I can assure you that this is _not _a punishment," said the Head, trying to calm him down. "We _all _know that Arella was just an innocent bystander that got caught in his trap. But please try to…accept that this is what needs to be done. It won't--" He held up a hand, and Ezra stopped, letting him continue. "It won't hurt her at all. A little bit of potion will be tipped into her drink, nothing more. All of her memories won't be erased, just starting from the time this started." Ezra looked at him, uncertain.

"Ezra," said Azar softly. He turned to her. "I know that…you don't want this to happen to her. But you have to trust us. I would never allow something like this to go on if I didn't believe in it myself. He knows what he's doing. Arella will be fine." He looked at the Head for a moment…then sat back down.

Delya put a hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him, but she could tell he was still upset. The Head looked thankfully at Azar, but she ignored him altogether.

His eyes saddened. Silence filled the room until the Head broke it.

"…So that is what we will do," he addressed everyone. "I'll send for a potion to be made. In three days, a small amount will be slipped into her drink, and after that, we won't have to worry about this matter." The other Council members nodded, a few looking at Ezra with concern. The Head dismissed everyone, and slowly they all left the meeting room, shutting the doors behind them.

TT

"Done!" exclaimed Hayden as he threw a rag on the ground. Rhea was just finishing cleaning off the last small statue. Placing it back into the cabinet, she stood.

"I can't believe Arella didn't help us!" she whined. The girl turned around. "I wonder where she is…"

"Probably doing something better than this," muttered Hayden as he stretched his arms above his head. "Well that's taken care of." He grabbed the extra cloths and the bottle of cleaning spray and knelt down, putting them back into the box. The sound of voices coming down the hall made him look up to see the Council members going downstairs. "Oh look, the meeting's done."

"I thought they would've finished a long time ago already…must've had a lot to talk about. Hmm…I'll go ask Delya later." Rhea walked in away, towards the stairs.

"Hey!" Hayden called. "Where are you going now?"

"I wanna go check on Carmine." Concern spread on her face. "You know, I'm worried about her. I don't think she can take care of the baby all alone."

"Shhh!" Hayden looked around, frantically. "Talk softer! Someone might hear you…someone probably did already, the way you talk—oww!" Rhea had punched him. "Well it's true…you're so loud, it's like you think everyone's deaf or something…"

Rhea scowled. "Whatever…I just wanna go see her, okay? Tell my sister where I am if she asks." And with that the young girl left, leaving Hayden standing alone in the hall.

He sighed. "Why do I always have to deal with that girl?" he muttered, carrying the box to the supply closed on the first floor.

TT

"Oh, Rhea," said Carmine, looking up from putting the baby to sleep. Rhea entered, shutting the door behind her.

"How is she?" The girl asked, stroking the infant's forehead softly.

"She's fine. I'm surprised, really…she's so quiet, she rarely cries. I wonder if it's because…" She trailed off, staring at the child.

Rhea changed the subject. "The meeting just finished."

"Really? Hey, your sister had to go to that, right? And Ezra? Did she tell you what it's about?"

The girl shook her head. "No idea. Delya didn't know either; she just left to find Ezra and they went to the third floor." She thought for a moment. "Do you think that maybe it's about…you know…the baby?"

Carmine shrugged. "Beats me. But it might be." She looked at her carefully. "You think the Council knows about it?"

"I'm…not sure. I dunno, I just have a feeling that they found out yesterday. Just a feeling though."

"Well, you might be right…"

It was quiet for a while, both young women staring at the baby.

"…Carmine?"

She turned to her. "Hmm?"

The girl hesitated, then asked, "…When was the last time Lady Azar actually _saw _the baby? Like, you know, watched her and took care of her, instead of you doing it all the time."

Carmine thought for a moment. "Well…uh…you know, that's a good question," she admitted. "I don't think she's ever seen her since the baby was given to me. Why do you ask?"

"Nothing really. I was just…thinking about something. About the baby."

Carmine watched her as she continued. "Like, you know…if she's gonna stay here, then who's gonna take care of her? Who'll be her mother? I mean, Arella won't be here; I don't think they're gonna let her even _see _her own child."

"That's pretty sad…" commented the young woman.

"I know…I don't think she's even seen her, not even once." Rhea looked away, remembering. "When my sister helped when Arella was giving birth and we figured out that it was gem, she automatically gave it to Noah, the carriage driver. She told him to hide her, keep her out of site. He did a good job because it looks like Arella still believes her baby's dead."

"Actually, you know, I thought Lady Azar would be the one to take care of her," said Carmine. "It just seemed so obvious…but now that I see it, the priestess isn't even doing anything. Well, I mean, like the motherly stuff…feeding her, and changing her, and making sure she's okay. That's all been dumped onto me. She's more focused on the politics of the situation, about dealing with the other Corners and the Council."

Rhea nodded in agreement. "See? That's probably what they were talking about upstairs. But you know, I kinda think you're right. About Lady Azar not being as motherly as we assumed she was gonna be. Still…I think she would be a good mom, you know? Just needs a push in the right direction, something to push all the seriousness aside and get to the softness and kindness underneath." She sighed. "I just wished she'd actually _try _and spend more time with the baby."

Carmine furrowed her eyebrows. "Hey, Rhea…where do you think Lady Azar is _right_ _now?"_

"I dunno…but she's probably…"

They both looked up, towards the ceiling, to the upper levels of the building, where the most serious and important conversations took place. Everyone knew it was the source of most of the palace's drama.

TT

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK_

"Azar!"

Silence.

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK_

"Azar, I know you're in there."

Silence.

"You might as well open the door; I'm not leaving until you do."

Silence…then suddenly the lock turned and the door opened. The high priestess stood there, not saying a word. She looked at him for a minute...then stepped aside and let him in, shutting the door behind him.

The Head walked into her study, a place he'd been many times before. Nothing had changed; it still looked like how he remembered it. Most of the furniture in the room was made of wood, polished and shiny. The hardwood floors were smooth and clean. Today, her curtains were a nice, deep indigo color, soft looking, probably velvet. The sofa and armchairs and the pillows upon them were the only things that weren't wooden. They were a nice violet, which he knew to be Azar's favorite color, and were soft and comfy, making you just want to plop down on them. They sat in the middle of the room, on a big violet rug. Her huge oak desk sat right in front of the fire place, papers scattered everywhere on it. She probably had been sifting through them before he'd come in because he knew she was usually very neat and tidy. Her favorite chair, a huge dark brown one, was behind the desk, with her favorite purple pillow laying on it to support her back. He liked this room the best in the palace because it was just so warm and inviting, somewhere anyone could just feel comfortable. But this was the first time he'd ever felt uneasy about being in here, not because of the room itself, but because of the person who resided in it. He knew that this wouldn't be easy to overcome, but they had to face it, sooner or later. He wanted it to be sooner.

Azar walked back around her desk and sat down in her chair, not paying one bit of attention to the man standing before her. She continued to look through her papers, flipping some over, sorting some into piles. He cleared his throat. She didn't notice.

'Now what?' He waited for a minute, but when nothing else happened, he sighed and just sat down onto one of her armchairs, a little far away from her desk. He watched her for a while, just observing what she was doing, but she still ignored him. He turned away and chose to stare at the floor. Complete and utter silence filled the room, except for the shuffling and flapping of the papers.

No one spoke. Tension filled the air.

Silence.

He lifted his head and focused his gaze back onto her. She was still involved in her work. He searched her face, looking for a sign, anything that would tell him what she was thinking, what she was feeling about this, right now and back then. He got nowhere.

Giving up, he said softly, "We both know why I am here."

She said nothing.

"I should be the one who's angry. I should be the one who's hurt. Not you."

No reply.

He sighed, again. He looked at her sadly for a moment before muttering, "Azar…you don't have to do this. I know you think you do, but you don't." She stopped sorting through her papers, but didn't utter a word. "You…you're just making this harder on yourself. Please understand…please _listen _to me when I say this. You don't have to do this on your own. You _can't_. You think you can, but…you _can't_…"

He stopped, shutting his eyes as if he was in pain. Slowly, he opened his eyes again. The priestess had abandoned her work altogether now and was just staring at the top of her desk. His words were sinking into her head.

He said no more. Instead he sat, watching…waiting. Waiting for her to say something. Waiting…it had been what he had learned to do when dealing with her. She wasn't one to give someone what they wanted, to give in. She was strong, independent, guided by her mind and hers only. She'd do things the way she wanted them to be done; she'd stand strong and fight, 'till it seemed that it would take everything from her. At first, he tried to stop her, try to prevent her from going any further…but he'd learned that what he _should_ do was wait. And so he did. He waited and watched her fight and struggle, waited until she could fight no more, when she finally had to fall. And then…then, he would help her up. Help her, give her anything she needed, and just simply be there for her at anytime, should she ever stumble again. It was all he could ever really do and all she would ever take from him.

But with this situation, he could not wait. It left no time for waiting. Besides the fact that millions of lives, rather, the existence of humanity was at stake, he knew one thing. If he let her do this on her own, handle this by herself…he knew it would destroy her. It was too much…too much for one to take on alone, and he could not stand by and just _wait_ for her to need his help, wait for her to fall…because in this situation, in this predicament…there may be no chance of her ever getting back up.

And that was what he was afraid of.

His eyes remained on her. Hers did not look up. The silence was intense…until, at last, she spoke.

"…What was I _suppose_ to do?"

Hearing her voice shocked him. She'd never sounded like this before. So weak, so fragile, as if she was about to _crumble_. Seeing her like this…it broke his heart.

"Azar…"

"Y-you just…you don't _know_," she said, her voice shaky. "You don't know how it feels. At all. P-People…so many people…they're depending on me. Every person in this palace…even Lord Maeretar and Lady Emmadaea. They are…looking up to _me. _They want me to—no, they _know _that I can do this." She looked away, eyes still lowered, head bowed. She bit her lip before continuing.

"I-It's…it's always been this way. People are so _certain _that I can take care of all their problems. That I can magically make them disappear." She shut her eyes. "But it's not like that. It's not…it's not true."

Opening them, she finally looked up at him. Her eyes were filled with pain, a pain that had been locked away inside of her…until now. "I-I'm not as strong as people think. I _can't _solve all of their problems. You're right." She looked down. "I can't do this on my own."

The Head was about to speak, to offer comfort, but she looked back up at him, strength returning to her gaze. Word by word, the weakness in her voice disappeared. "But that doesn't matter. It doesn't. People are _counting_ on me…they look up to me for strength when they have none left. And as High Priestess, I must _give_ it to them. Even if I am just as scared…even if I am just as worried…I still have to be brave. If not for myself…then for everyone else."

The Head stared at her, his gaze no longer soft, but hard and stern, scrutinizing her in disbelief.

"I…" He stopped, trying to put into words what he was thinking. "Azar…it's not…y-you don't have to…be like this. You don't have to do everything yourself. You don't have to…be alone." Her eyes widened a little as he continued. "Your pride is getting in the way…or your fear is, and I'm willing to bet that it's the later." He stood slowly, never taking his eyes off her as he approached her desk. She sat there, frozen, lowering her head, turning away to the side. He knelt beside her.

"Look at me, Azar."

She refused to budge. He took her hands in his, determined to help her before she gave up. Before she fell.

"Azar, _please_..." Hearing the urgency in his voice, she turned to face him. Their eyes met. One filled with hope. The other filled with pain.

"Don't be scared. Don't be afraid to depend on others. You think that they'll reject you…that they only want to you to work out their problems and not hear a word of yours. But _that's not true_. Azar, I…" He took a long, deep breath. "We _want_ to help you. We want to just sit and listen to _you _talk for a change. We wantto be there for you, we wantyou to need us. It's not bad to show that you are weak, too…it just reminds everyone that you are not a god. You're human, just like them, just like us all." He squeezed her hand. "You don't have to take on your pain alone, Azar. You don't have to cry in the dark. We're _here_ for you."

A moment of stillness…before Azar collapsed into his arms, arms that embraced her and held her and kept her safe and loved. The arms of a true friend. She buried her face into his chest, breathing deeply, keeping herself from shedding any tears. He smiled and whispered, softly into her violet hair, "…We always have."

TT

The priestess' palace was a huge structure, big enough for anyone to get lost in. Everyone knew that. But what some didn't know was that it was so enormous that even though it was daytime, there were still places within the walls that light didn't touch. On the fourth floor, shadows filled the end of a long hallway that seemed to be empty. But you can never tell what's hiding in the dark.

The sound of footsteps appeared as a man walked into the sunshine streaming in through the large windows. He wore a long, black robe that rose a few inches above the floor, just brushing his black boots. His hair was short…_black_ and _curly._ Anyone who looked into his eyes would automatically turn away because the only thing they would see there was _anger._ Furious, raging anger all trapped in his unceasing, hard gaze. But it wouldn't remain that way for long because soon…it would be let out

He looked down though the windows, onto the palace grounds. Servants were hurrying back and forth, trying to get all their work done. People were busy everywhere. A small, barely recognizable smile spread across his face. That was good. It would help him to slip by, unnoticed. It would make it easier for him to get what he needed.

He walked down the hall calmly to not attract anyone's attention. It was a few hours away from sunset. When the time came, he'd take action. But for now, he'd just relax, appear to be normal…

…As if nothing astonishing were about to happen.

TT

'They can't do this to her.'

Ezra repeated this thought, over and over inside of his head, as he descended the stairs to the first floor. His displeasure was written all over his face, with his eyes boring down into the floor as if he could use the fire of his discontent to burn a hole in the ground. It took all his strength to keep every step light instead of stomping around like a child throwing a hissy fit.

'She didn't even have a _choice_ in the matter. It isn't fair! You can't just _toy _with a person's mind whenever you feel like it and say it's _fine._ When did that become okay to do?'

He reached the second floor and quickly descended the grand staircase. 'How is erasing her memories supposed to _solve _anything, anyway? It doesn't fix the situation with the gem. It doesn't fix a _thing_. They're just…_afraid. _They think she'll do something to make things _worse, _worse than they already are. But then tell me—how can they be so sure she _will?'_

He stepped into the empty foyer, his footsteps echoing on the cold, marble floor. Turning right, he walked behind the grand staircase, down the hallway to his left, and turned right, down another hallway that led to the kitchen and dining hall. 'It's bad enough that they took away her child and told her she was _dead. _Now they're planning on doing _this_ to her? Don't they think it's enough? Or do they have to keep on going, keep on taking until she has nothing left at--"

"Ezra?"

His head shot up. His eyes widened. Standing there, just a foot away from him was the very woman he'd been thinking about all day. Concern spread on her face as she saw his look of utter surprise. "Are…are you--"

"I-I'm fine," he lied as he looked away, trying to avoid her eyes.

Her concern grew, but she decided to leave it alone. "Well…um…I was wondering if you had some time, because I kind of wanted to talk to you about something…it's been bothering me since last night and--"

"Um, I'm a bit busy right now…maybe you could go to Delya or Rhea, don't think they'd mind," he muttered quickly, walking past her.

"Oh…okay…" And just like that he was gone.

Arella stared at the spot where he'd just been, then to her left, through the glass at the courtyard garden.

'Did I…do something wrong?' she asked herself, confused and hurt. He was the one person she was sure she could go to about this; the one person she knew would sit and just _listen._ A wave of sadness suddenly washed over her, making her tremble and feel like collapsing, because once again…she was alone.

TT

"_WHAT?!"_

CRASH!

Rhea sat on the sofa staring at her sister, eyes as wide as saucers, mouth hanging open, total shock on her face. The two were in the sitting room on the first floor, Delya in an armchair across from her, the table in between them. She frowned at her sister's obvious overreaction, and was about to reply when she heard heavy footsteps behind her.

As she turned around, she had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing at the sight in front of her. Hayden entered from the room next door, dripping in blue paint. He slowly limped across the room to grab a towel, not saying a word to anyone.

"I was…w-wondering what that noise was," Delya said, trying not to laugh.

Wiping off the paint on his face, Hayden glared at her. A minute ago, he'd been on a small ladder, moving containers of blue paint from their boxes into the store closet. When Rhea had unexpectedly shouted, he got caught off guard and things got a little…messy.

The young girl on the sofa didn't even notice him; she continued to sit there and stare at her sister, her facial features unchanging. Hayden was about to leave to change and wash up but took just one step before he saw Rhea.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked, an eyebrow raised.

Delya turned back, remembering her. "It's nothing…she's just being _overdramatic,_ as always." This shook Rhea out of her daze as she pouted.

"I'm _not _overdramatic," she protested. She saw Hayden out of the corner of her eye. "What happened to you?"

He rolled his eyes as he heard Delya suppress a laugh. Throwing the towel over his shoulder, he exited the room.

"Oh…Hayden, come back down here when you're done! I need to talk to both of you about something!" Delya called to him, almost forgetting why she was here in the first place.

She was met with his grumbling as his disappeared into the next room. Looking back, the woman saw her sister sitting there, eyes staring up at her with sadness and disappointment.

"What…?" she asked. But she already knew what the problem was.

"Maybe I should just go…Anyway, you already told me about it, just now--"

"_Stay,_" her sister said firmly. "I know I told you…but you need to hear--"

"_What?_ I need to hear _what?_ There's nothing left for you to say, Delya…you're gonna erase her memories, okay. I don't wanna hear any excuses, any 'explanations'."

"They are _not _excuses, Rhea. I just want you to understand why we're--"

"_Understand?"_ the young girl said, almost in disbelief. "Oh, I think I understand perfectly why you're doing this! Why you're keeping these secrets from her…why you're keeping her _baby_ from her! I'm not stupid, Delya; I'm not an ignorant, naïve little girl, like you seem to think I am."

Delya stared at her, taken aback at what she was hearing. "_E-Excuse me?_ Rhea, when did you think it was okay to even _speak _to me like that? I am your older sister; you're supposed to treat me with respect!"

"Oh," the girl scoffed, turning so her back faced her. "_Respect_…"

"What is _that _suppose to mean?" Delya asked, starting to get ticked off with her younger sister's attitude.

"You wanna talk about _respect?_ Huh? How I should always respect _you,_ and all of my elders? Well how about respecting _me_ for a change? How about respecting how I feel, and what I think about it? How about starting to actually give a _damn_ about--" she stopped, lowering her eyes to the floor.

Delya's look of impatience suddenly became considerate as she realized why this was happening. "Rhea…this is about…mom, isn't it?"

Rhea didn't answer, but the sadness grew on her face. A tense, uneasy silence filled the room as a memory from long ago was brought back to the surface.

"Um…I think I got here at a bad time, didn't I?"

Delya looked up to see Hayden standing in the doorway, looking from her to the young girl across the room, arms folded across her chest, staring at the carpet.

"No…it's okay Hayden, just take a seat. I really needed to talk to you…about this…" she watched her younger sister for a moment before sitting back down in her chair.

The girl stood there, in the same spot for a minute, before lowering her arms and taking her seat back on the sofa, a few feet away from Hayden. He looked at her and frowned before turning back to Delya.

"So…what's so important that you can't wait 'till later to tell us about?" he asked, pretending like the whole scene hadn't even occurred.

She watched her sister for a few seconds before saying, "Well…the meeting with the Council finished a little more than an hour ago, and I wanted to just inform you both on what happened."

Rhea's eyes narrowed as she looked away, already knowing what she was about to say. She continued. "The Head called Lady Azar, Ezra, and I to the meeting because he wanted to address a certain…problem. The problem that, if not solved soon, will hold every single one of our fates in its hands."

Hayden's eyes widened. "They found out…"

Delya nodded. "Somehow, Isaiah discovered the gem and went to the Council after the feast. He told them all he knew, which wasn't much, but…it was enough. When we got there, the two of us had to tell him everything...all that happened from the moment we entered that cave and found--" She stopped.

Hayden watched her for a moment before breaking the awkward silence. "…So I guess they wanted to decide on what to do about the kid?"

Delya looked up. "O-Oh, sorry…yes, that's what most of the meeting was about. It took longer than expected because apparently we all had…different opinions on what to do. But eventually, after all the arguing and disagreements, they settled on the Head's idea: to keep the gem at the palace and let Lady Azar take care of her."

"So she's staying here?" asked Hayden.

Delya nodded. "They thought it would be best to let her live here and have a life as close to normal as she can…plus, the Council trusts Lady Azar and they knew she would always look out for the baby."

"So you really think she'll be a good mother for her?" The two jumped at hearing Rhea's voice. Usually she was so happy and bright…it was rare to see her this serious. Hayden couldn't even remember when he'd seen her like this before. She waited for an answer from her.

"Um…well, when you put it like that…I guess she would be a mother to the child."

"But do you think she can do it?"

"…What do you mean?"

"Do you think Lady Azar is…capable of being motherly? I know she's trying to take care of this, but she's just facing the politics; Carmine told me that when she tried to ask her for help with the baby, Lady Azar just brushed her off and went to her study. It's like she doesn't want to deal with the problems that you get when you have to take care of a child."

Delya stared at the young girl. It seemed as if she'd forgotten, or pushed aside their little…struggle earlier. She sighed, glad for that.

Hayden also stared at Rhea, but for a different reason. 'She sounds…_different._' Usually, she was always the happy-go-lucky girl in the group. But now he was seeing another side of her…the smarter, more intelligent side that actually _thought_ before she _spoke._ 'Wow…she's starting to act like her sister now. More grown up, more mature…never thought I'd see the day…"

No one said a word as all eyes were on Rhea. She looked at them both, left to right. As she opened her mouth to say something, she was interrupted.

"You know, you make a very good point, Rhea." Everyone turned around to see the one and only Lady Azar standing in the doorway. "I'd never thought about things like that before."

"Oh, my Lady, um, please sit down," Delya said, looking around and grabbing a box off an armchair, clearing it off for her. Azar smiled and thanked her before settling down upon the soft cushion.

"Honestly though," she said, looking at Rhea, picking up where she left off. The girl had a soft blush on her face, embarrassed for what she said, not thinking the priestess was there, listening. She smiled. "I never would have guessed that it would be _you_ who would ponder over such things."

"I know. But lately I've been thinking about…a whole bunch of stuff, stuff I don't usually have on my mind," Rhea confessed. "I think it probably has to do with the way things are now…the problems we're facing."

The priestess nodded. "Yes. Our situation is changing…the troubles we faced yesterday are so much more different than the ones we look at today. It makes living much…harder."

"And more confusing," the girl added. "And _tiring_…definitely tiring…"

Azar chuckled. Delya sighed, a small smile creeping on her face. It looked like her sister was slowly getting back to her normal self, as if Lady Azar just being here made her loosen up.

"Which reminds me. I think I have to…apologize to Carmine for my actions." Rhea heard a little shame in her voice. "I shouldn't have ignored her like that…it was wrong on my part…"

"Maybe you were just worn out, you know, from running all over the place to get ready for the Council's visit?"

"Or…it might have been something else." She looked up at her.

Rhea stared. Her eyes widened. "Oh no! No, no, _no, _my lady…I didn't mean...I-I wasn't trying to make it look like you were--"

She held up a hand, stopping her. "It's okay. I understand. It's just…" She took a breath. "When I was standing back there, by the door, listening to you talk, it…occurred to me…how _right_ you were. I take care of all the other problems except--" She paused.

The girl watched, waiting. Delya and Hayden stared at the other two, feeling left out, like it was a conversation just between the two of them. The woman began again, on a different view of things. "So how is it, Rhea, that this…thought came into your head? How did you start to think about it all of a sudden?"

She sat for a few seconds, considering her question. "Hmm…well, it wasn't too long ago. I was with Carmine and we were just, you know, talking about stuff…mainly about the baby, and how things would be for her if she stayed."

"How things would be for her?"

"Like, how her life would be…because, you know, Arella won't be here…" She lowered her eyes. Azar noticed, and guessed that her sister had told her already. She patiently waited for her to continue.

"So she'll need someone…to be there for her. Someone that can hold her and take care of her…someone that can talk to her and listen, too. Someone to sit beside her on those cold, rainy days, to tell her it'll be all right…" Delya watched her. She was slowly getting lost in her own thoughts and memories; the conflict earlier was coming up again. Her past…their past…was being brought up, and without knowing, the girl was putting the pain she hid for so long into words.

"She needs someone there to share her precious secrets with, her pain and her joy. Someone to hold onto for hope, when she feels like there's none left…" she looked up at Azar. "She needs to love…and to be loved. She needs a _mother."_

'…It's gone,' Delya thought, looking at the priestess. Her warmth and openness when she'd stepped in was nowhere to be seen; now, she looked more thoughtful…more serious…as if she was realizing something for the first time.

Azar looked away. It was all coming back to her. It was all connecting. The decision to hide the gem from the Council. The meeting upstairs. The conversation she had with the Head.

"_You don't have to do everything yourself. You don't have to…be alone."_

"_Don't be scared."_

"_We want to just sit and listen to you talk for a change."_

"_We want to be there for you, we want you to need us."_

"_We're here for you."_

She felt her eyes watering, tears trying to escape. She opened her mouth to speak, but stopped as she heard shouting coming from next door. It was getting louder and louder until...

"_Lady Azar!_ My lady, are you in here?"

A young man ran into the room. Seeing the priestess, relief passed over his face as he bent over, breathing heavily.

She slowly stood. "W-What is it? What's wrong?"

Everyone waited for a moment as he still stood there, trying to catch his breath. After a minute, he spoke. "It's…It's _Carmine,_ my lady…"

Rhea's eyes widened. "What happened to her? Is she okay?"

He shook his head. "They…They found her on the floor…unconscious. They think someone…may have attacked her."

Delya, Hayden, Rhea, and Azar looked at each other for a moment…then their eyes widened. They all shot out of their chairs as they realized what this meant.

"Hurry! We need to get to the fourth floor!" called Azar as they ran out of the room, leaving the young man behind. "They may have taken her!"

The four raced down the hallway and into the foyer, their footsteps loud on the marble floor as they flew up the staircase. Being the fastest, Hayden got there first, throwing open the door. A few Council members and servants looked up, a bit alarmed. Hayden entered as the others arrived, out of breath.

Seidan, one of the younger Council members, was crouched over Carmine, examining her head. Azar, Delya and Hayden approached, slowly. "…She's been knocked out cold," he noted. "Someone may have hit her from behind with a heavy object…I don't think they did any other damage. She'll wake up okay…maybe with a little bump on her head and a bit of a headache, but she'll be fine."

"Do you know who did this, Seidan?" asked the priestess as she knelt down beside him.

He shook his head. "No one saw it happen. One of the other servants, a close friend of Carmine's, came in here to check on her. Found her like this, on the carpet. Nothing else seems to be out of place, though…"

"She's gone!"

They turned around to see Rhea standing beside a small bed. The pillows were neat, untouched, but the sheets were a bit messy, as if the person lying there had just woken up. The bed was empty.

Seidan looked at Azar. "You were keeping her in here, weren't you?"

Azar nodded, sadly.

He stood up quickly, the priestess doing the same. "We need to find whoever did this," he said, aloud. "They came here with one goal, and it wasn't to attack Carmine, but to take the person she was protecting." He looked around the room, at the Council members who were present. "The gem is gone."

The room filled with confusion and shock as everyone reacted.

"What?!"

"She's been taken?!"

"This can't be!"

"Who did it!?"

"We must look for her!"

"I knew it _all along."_

Everyone turned to a woman standing in the corner. She was a Council member; the same one who showed dislike for Azar at the meeting earlier that day. She continued. "I knew she couldn't handle it. Placing the gem in her care was a _mistake._ You all honestly think you can trust her now? Look at what's happened. The girl's missing, a servant's been attacked, and no one knows who's behind it all." She faced the priestess. Azar narrowed her eyes. "Azar…I don't know what you were thinking when you decided to take care of this but surely now you realize…the gem isn't right with you. She needs to be taken elsewhere, somewhere _safe._ You aren't what's best for her…why, you can't even take care of her yourself!" She laughed. "You had to let this _girl _watch the child…hmm…I wonder why?"

Azar's hand balled into a fist, trying to stop herself from saying something she would regret. Seidan stepped between them. "Theresa," he warned. "You better watch it. If the Head hears about this again, he might not let you off with a slap on the wrist this time."

She gave him a look that said, "Whatever", but she held her tongue.

"Wow," Hayden muttered. "I almost thought they were gonna kill each other…"

"Yeah…" Delya agreed. His words replayed over in her head. 'Wait a second…kill?' Her eyes widened.

"I know who did it!" she exclaimed. Everyone in the room turned to her. "That man…at the meeting," she said to Seidan and Azar. "The one who suggested killing the gem. He probably took her so he could…"

Their eyes widened. Seidan spun around. "Do any of you know where he is?" he asked, anxiously to the other Council members. They shook their heads, except for a woman at the end with long brown hair.

"Actually…I think I do remember him saying something…"

"You do?" he asked.

"Yes…something about how he really wanted to see the sunset later today. He said he was going to find the perfect place to watch it from."

"The tower!" said Azar. "The one that was built not too long ago for star-gazing…it's the highest point in the entire palace!"

"Then we need to get there, fast," said Seidan, already rushing out the door. "He might have already done it!"

Azar, Rhea, Hayden, and Delya followed, moving quickly down the hallway.

"Oh my God!" exclaimed Rhea as she looked out a window. "The sun's going down!"

The five ran even faster, dashing up the stairs and speeding down the stone corridor that led to the tower. Trying not to trip, they raced up the winding steps, bursting through the door into a room filled with charts, instruments, and a brass telescope. He was nowhere to be found.

"He's…not here," said Hayden, gasping for breath.

Seidan looked around the room 'till he spied another door. "There!" he shouted running over and pushing it open. They came out onto a balcony that ran all around the tower. Turning, they saw the man they were looking for, holding a bundle in his arms. He looked down at it, seeming not to notice them, until he spoke.

"You know…" he started. "What I'm about to do…it's for the best. You all may not agree with me, but really...once it's over, you'll be glad I did it." He glanced up at the setting sun, the warmth spreading across the sky. "I'm going to save everyone," he whispered. "I'm going to protect the world."

"No--!" started Rhea, but jumped back as he spun around to face them.

"You'll see, little girl," he said to her. Delya put her arm around her sister, staring at the crazed man before her. "You'll understand sooner or later…I did this all to protect you, and your sister, and you family and friends. Every single person on this planet." He turned back to the life he held in his hands. Glancing down at her, he held the infant over the side, dangling in the air. "The demon's child will be dead today," he said. "And all will be well. After all, it's the only way to prevent the End…sacrificing a life to save a million more--"

"Now!" shouted Seidan. He lunged forward, knocking the man to the ground.

"NO!" he yelled, dropping the baby. Rhea gasped as she saw her falling over the edge...

...But Hayden leapt, catching her before she was lost, forever. He gave her to Azar as he saw the man punch Seidan across the face and get free of his grasp, running around to the other side of the tower. He was very near to the door, almost escaping…until he stopped in his tracks. Delya stood there, blocking his way, Hayden running up behind her.

"Going somewhere?" she asked with as much courage as she could muster up.

He glared and charged forward, only to get a few feet before Seidan grabbed him from behind. But he tripped, losing his grip and accidentally pushing the man away, toward the balcony. Seidan had pushed him with so much force that the man lost his footing and fell over the edge, both hands gripping on for dear life.

"H-Help me!" he shouted. Hayden rushed forward, Seidan getting back to his feet, saying, "Just hold on, we'll pull you up--"

The man suddenly screamed. They all ran to the balcony and looked over the edge. Their eyes widened, mouths falling open.

Out of nowhere, a huge portal opened, revealing a fiery chasm in another world. The flames were tremendous, wild and untamed. A huge hand made of fire shot out of the hellhole, and before they knew what had happened, it grabbed the shrieking man and took him in, the flames swallowing him whole. A second before the portal closed, Azar saw four gigantic red eyes, glowing with an evil she dared not to speak of. And then, it was gone.

The five stood there, in complete and utter shock.

"What the hell was that?" said Hayden.

TT

"...A-Are you sure?" asked Rhea. She, Hayden, Delya, Seidan, Ezra, and the rest of the Council were in the larger sitting room on the fifth floor. The five had told the others what had happened, from finding Carmine unconscious on the floor to barely rescuing the gem on the tower.

Azar nodded. "I saw those eyes. It was Trigon, punishing him for trying to kill his daughter."

Hayden's eyes widened. "So he's in…?"

She nodded. They were silent until a Council member spoke. "So…what do you think this means?" she asked.

"It's…It's hard to say," she answered, slowly. "But all I know is that we need to keep this child _safe."_ She looked down at the bundle in her arms.

The Head nodded. "So I think we can all agree that it's best for her to stay here, at the palace."

"But what if he comes back?" asked a woman with her black hair put up in a bun. "What if Trigon returns?"

"It's just a risk we'll have to take. This is the safest place in the entire Eastern Corner. If we can't leave her here, then where can we?" The Council nodded, agreeing with him.

"Now remember we're here for three more days," he announced. "I've already sent a request for the…potion to be made." Ezra lowered his eyes. "It should get here on the morning of our last day, so that is when it…shall be done. I've talked to the kitchen maids and they've agreed to slip it into one of her drinks. Do not tell anyone, at _all, _about this; it must be kept in this room. If all goes as planned, then we shouldn't have to worry about the young woman." He looked around, seeing if anyone had anything more to say.

"Then that's it," he said. "Thank you all for cooperating in this matter. I know it's troubling, especially to a few of us, but it must be done. Hopefully, this will all end well…"

He dismissed everyone. Soon, the only one in the sitting room was Azar, sitting in an armchair near the windows. For a moment she looked outside, on the dark palace grounds. The lamps were lit along the path, their glow soft and comforting. She looked down, at the baby in her arms. She hadn't seen her face for so long…just that once, when Delya had first brought the infant to her.

The baby blinked tiredly, looking up at her. She realized how beautiful her eyes were...a soft shade of violet, probably amethyst. Her eyes were so round and huge, just seeing her stare up at her like that, so innocent and cute, it made her want to laugh.

She yawned suddenly, looking even cuter. Azar smiled. Personally, she loved children, but sadly didn't have any of her own. Now that this girl was in her care…

'My care…' She remembered now, about earlier. Rhea was right. She would need a mother…and Carmine couldn't take care of her forever. Someone would have to be there for her.

'But,' she thought to herself. 'Am I capable of being a…'

"_The gem isn't right with you. She needs to be taken elsewhere, somewhere safe. You aren't what's best for her…why, you can't even take care of her yourself!" She laughed. "You had to let this girl watch the child…hmm…I wonder why?"_

She looked away. For a few minutes she just sat there, thinking. The baby had fallen asleep, her small chest moving up and down.

Azar became more determined. 'No. I can do this. I _have _to do this…but…not alone. I won't _be_ alone, because…' She looked down. She smiled. 'I'll always have you.'

"My little Raven," she whispered, naming the baby. "I'll always have you. And you'll always have me…to care for you…to protect you…to _love you."_

The stars twinkled in the night sky and Delsetor, the moon, shone with a light so brilliant and pure. It was peaceful…even if only for a moment, everything was peaceful…

**Phew. That was a lot. But it's done now, so what do you think about it? Was it okay? You know the only way to tell me!**

**Hehe…I'm so happy to have finally named her Raven! I don't gots to call her "baby" or "gem" or "child" or "infant" anymore...yeah…**

**I already have next chapter planned, I just don't know when I can write it since school's starting up again next week…but I'll try my best!**


	10. Nine: Forgive Me

**I am so deeply and utterly sorry. I can't believe July was the last time I updated…and I seriously would have been able to do this faster if I didn't have so much work **_**cough**_**HistoryDaycrap**_**cough **_**to do. But that doesn't matter anymore, because here it is! Let me just say that this chapter is a very important point in the story because…well…I don't want to spoil the surprise. Just know that its one of the chapters I've had planned for a long time and that I worked hard on to get just right. At least, I hope its just right.**

**I need to give a big ****thank you**** to Sleeping Rain, evilsangel, Starbright916, and ravenslair. Thanks so much for reviewing every single chapter…you guys are the **_**greatest! **_**This chapter is dedicated to you :)**

**Disclaimer: It's not mine…that really sucks.**

**And roll it…(haha, that's fun to say…I think I'll say that every chapter now…)**

The Caged Bird

Chapter Nine: Forgive Me

An entire day had passed since the chaos with the deranged Council member and his murderous plan that had, fortunately, not been a success. But it was close. It had made the others realize that this wasn't the end of it. There were probably more people out there just like him, people who believed that the only way to stop the prophecy from coming true was to get rid of the one who it was about. So they agreed that for now, news on the existence of the child should be kept within the palace walls. The only ones who'd see her would be the Council, the high priestess, and the few others who knew what was going on. She'd have to be protected and watched at all times to keep the past incident from happening again.

So that's exactly what Hayden and Carmine were doing. It was morning, the sun shining brightly, promising a hot day. Azar had taken the baby, whom it was well known had been named Raven, to the shore, not too far away from the palace grounds, but far enough so that no one else would be able to see them. Rhea had decided to tag along. The two had plopped down on the sand, laughing and playing with the infant, who at first looked adorably confused but then started to giggle and smile with them.

The two "watch guards" sat a couple of yards away on the grass, keeping an eye on them. Small talk came up occasionally, but for the most part they'd been silent, just watching the three from a distance.

"…Lady Azar's been happier than she usually is," commented Carmine.

"Yeah…ever since she started spending more time with Raven, she's lightened up more," agreed Hayden.

"I guess it's because she's finally accepted being a mother to her…" Carmine let out a soft laugh. "Now I won't have to change diapers or stay up late anymore…or maybe, at least, not as often."

"Mm-hmm…"

It was quiet again. Carmine's thoughts began to wander elsewhere, to a moment three days ago, in the room she'd been practically quarantined to with the baby. It was on the day the Council had arrived at the palace, and she and Rhea had been talking about everything that was going on. It was something that the young girl had said; something that she knew hurt her to talk about. If she remembered correctly, it had something to do with mothers…

"Hey, Hayden," she started.

He looked up. "…Hmm?"

"It's just…I remembered something that Rhea said a couple of days ago. I was saying how sorry I felt for Raven, that she wouldn't have her mother to be there by her side. And then…and then she said…"

"_I feel the same way about it, too. I know how…_horrible_ it is to grow up without a mother."_

"The way she said it…I could just hear the pain in her voice, like it was something she hardly ever shared with anyone." Hayden's face slowly grew serious as it was coming together. "I just thought that…maybe something's bothering her. Is it true, Hayden?" she asked, turning to him.

At first he didn't respond. She waited until he finally spoke. "I think I know what's wrong with her. It's weird, 'cause she's never really showed it was worrying her before. We all kind of thought she moved on from it. But now…" He looked away, at the blades of grass at his feet. "It's been coming up again. Yesterday, I was going downstairs to the sitting room where we always hang out, and I was about to head in when I heard shouting. It was between Rhea and Delya. I didn't want to interrupt, so I stood behind the doorway and listened…"

"E-Excuse me?_ Rhea, when did you think it was okay to even speak to me like that? I am your older sister; you're supposed to treat me with respect!"_

"_Oh," the girl scoffed, turning so her back faced her. _"Respect…"

"_What is _that _suppose to mean?" Delya asked, starting to get ticked off with her younger sister's attitude._

"_You wanna talk about _respect?_ Huh? How I should always respect _you,_ and all of my elders? Well how about respecting _me_ for a change? How about respecting how I feel, and what I think about it? How about starting to actually give a _damn_ about--!" she stopped, lowering her eyes to the floor._

_Delya's look of impatience suddenly became considerate as she realized why this was happening. "Rhea…this is about…mom, isn't it?"_

_Rhea didn't answer, but the sadness grew on her face._

"…I think you can guess what it is."

Carmine's eyes were wide as it dawned on her. "Her mother…she's…?"

Hayden nodded. "It was a long time ago, when she was only three and Delya was fifteen. It was totally unexpected. She just…up and left them. Search parties went out; nobody found anything until a week later…when they discovered her body." He looked up at her. "They said it was suicide. Delya refused to believe them for months, until she finally accepted it. Rhea was too young to understand what was going on. What she told you…she's right. She knows exactly what it's like to grow up without a mother.

"When their father left them when Rhea was just one, their mother, she…she couldn't handle it. She spent more and more time alone, and Delya wouldn't admit it, but she knew their mother was slipping away. And then, when she was gone entirely, she had to raise Rhea on her own. It was hard, but…they made it through. After the death, Delya forced herself to forget all about their mother; she never spoke about it to keep the pain from coming back. But Rhea on the other hand…I guess she couldn't do what her sister did. She couldn't bury it like her; she wanted to keep everything she knew about their mother with her. It caused a lot of fights between them, but after awhile, it kind of…settled down. And then we all thought Rhea was fine, but…I guess it'll always be in her mind."

A few moments of silence passed. Carmine shook her head in astonishment. "I…I just can't believe something that…_tragic_ happened to her. Looking at Rhea, you'd never think that she's suffered so much pain."

Hayden looked at her. "I thought she would've told you about it already. I mean, she always visits you and talks to you…I figured that she--"

She shook her head again. "Most people probably think we're close, but actually I don't know much about her…at least, not as much as you guys do. When I first came to the palace, which was a couple of months ago, she just came up to me one day and introduced herself. Then she just started following me all over the place; she got really attached to me. I'm not sure why, though…" she admitted.

He considered her for a moment before saying, "…I think it's because you listen to her."

She looked up. "Huh?"

"You listen to her. And I mean you actually sit down and hear what she has to say, not just pretend like you care. See, whenever she tried to bring up problems with Delya, mostly about their mother, she refused to listen and told her that it's 'in the past' and said nothing else about it. You…" He gestured toward her. "You're different. You don't tell her to forget about it and just shut up. You let her talk, and you show you actually care. Most of us just brush her off; I tune her out. That's why she likes you a lot." He finished his little "analysis" and sat back, satisfied.

At first she was a little taken aback, but then it was gone as she smirked. "Well…I have to say that you're _quite _the psychiatrist, Hayden. You can figure out anyone's problems."

"Funny. But nah, I'm not like that…I'm just good at it when it comes to Rhea." He looked up at the girl, playing and splashing around in the water. "You know, sometimes she really irritates the _hell_ out of me, when she gets all whiny and bratty. But still…she's like a little sister to me. I'd do anything to protect her if she was in trouble. The four of us, me, Delya, Rhea, and Ezra, we're like a family. Maybe not by blood, but…" He trailed off.

A small smile appeared on her face as she put a hand on his arm. "Yeah…I know what you mean."

TT

"…He hasn't said a word all day."

Two maids, both in their mid-thirties, stood in the entrance to the dining hall, huddled together. They were closely watching a young man moving about, wandering over and adjusting a framed picture hanging perfectly straight on the wall or fussing with flowers that looked just fine in their porcelain vase. He was alone, except for the few other palace servants passing through to either the kitchen or the hallway outside. They whispered to each other as they continued to observe him.

"I tried to talk to him a few hours ago," said one of the women. "It seemed like he wasn't even interested in a thing I had to say. All he did was nod here and there, maybe mumble a word or two...I'm not sure he was even listening to me."

"He's been so withdrawn lately...do you think maybe something's wrong?" asked the other maid.

"Hmm…well there probably _is,_ but I have no clue what it could be. All I know is that it's really bothering him, so much that all he wants to do is be by himself."

The other lady suddenly realized something. "Hey…come to think of it, whatever happened to the girl he always used to talk to? The new one…what's her name again?"

"You mean Arella? The one that came with them from the North?"

"Yeah, that's her, the one with the long, wavy dark hair."

"I don't know where she is, I haven't seen her around lately…she's probably just somewhere here, the palace is pretty huge, after all."

"You're probably right…" she said, nodding slowly. "But you know, something must be going on between the two of them; I don't even see her and Ezra together anymore…I thought they were close friends?"

"They _are,_" replied the other.

"Then what's up? Is it that bad that they don't even want to be near each other?"

Her companion shrugged. "Beats me…it must be really complicated."

"Well whatever it is…" They watched him as he walked out of the dining hall into the hallway. "I just hope he'll be okay."

Ezra left the dining hall, looking down as he trudged along, the glass wall showcasing the beautiful courtyard garden on his left. He entered the empty foyer. The craziness in the palace before the Council had arrived had subsided; things were pretty much back to normal. Bored, and with nothing else to do, he slowly climbed up the stairs, wanting to stand on the third floor balcony, to just look at the view and think in the peace and stillness. He reached the third floor and was about to turn left down the hall when he caught something in the corner of his eye on his right. Standing in the hall, he stared down his right, at the two doors that led to the meeting room. One was slightly open, as if someone had forgotten to close it.

'That's…odd,' he thought. 'Those doors are always kept shut. I wonder if…'

He thought for a moment before he went down the right hall, to close the doors. When he was just a few feet away, he slowed down…then stopped. There were voices coming from the room inside.

He crept forward, standing with his back to the closed door on the left. He inched closer, to the open door on the right. He listened to the people inside, whose voices were low but urgent. He recognized them as the Head and Seidan.

"…She will arrive here tomorrow," said the Head, the tone of his voice serious.

"You mean the witch from the North?" whispered Seidan. "The one you asked to make the potion?"

Ezra froze.

"Yes. But…it will be risky. I advised her earlier to send someone else to deliver it, but she refused. She said it would be best if she brought it here herself. If someone else had delivered it, it could be meddled with, stolen…Hemora _knows _what else. She's cast an invisibility spell on herself and her broom, to avoid being seen. If the Westerners spot her over their land, she'd be shot down without hesitation…you know how much they despise witches. Hopefully, she'll make it safely."

"And if she doesn't?" asked Seidan. "What then?"

The Head thought for a moment. "If that happens," he started. "We'll have to think of a new plan. I couldn't even think of asking the witches to brew another potion if she falls into any sort of danger; we'd have already lost their trust by then. But I am sure she'll get here tomorrow; I have much faith in her."

"…You'll put it in her glass, right?" Seidan asked after a moment of silence.

"Yes…I'm planning to do it at supper tomorrow evening, if everything goes smoothly."

"And you don't think anyone will notice? The maids, or the servants, maybe? What about those two you called to the meeting? That one guy, Ezra, he likes her a lot, I can tell…"

"Mmm…well, we'll just have to be extra careful. I know the boy is fond of her, but…he knows it's for the best."

Ezra had heard enough. He turned around and walked quickly with light feet down the hall.

'That's what they always say,' he thought. '"It's for the best." Every single thing they've done about this, it's always been 'for the best'. Well, how do they even know what's best for this, for Raven, for Arella? They think they do, but they just…' he stopped. He was standing on the balcony, looking out over the palace grounds to the sea. 'I can't do this anymore. I can't just sit on the side and watch them handle this.' He closed his eyes, his hand tightening firmly into a fist.

'It's…it's time.'

TT

It was lunch the next day. Delya, Hayden, and Ezra were in their favorite sitting room, Carmine joining them, for lunch. The two women were making sandwiches for everyone, talking to each other. Ezra was leaning forward in his armchair, elbows on knees, hands intertwined near his mouth, deep in thought. Hayden was sprawled on the sofa, bored.

Suddenly, Rhea walked into the room, smiling. She said hello to Carmine, but as soon as she saw her sister, the grin dropped. She quickly walked past them and plopped down next to Hayden.

Carmine looked to the side at Delya. Her eyes were cast down at her hands. Carmine's face saddened. "…Don't worry Delya," she whispered. "She'll come around. I bet her smile will be back in a few minutes; you know how she gets with her frequent mood swings."

A small smile spread on her face. "Yeah…I guess you're right."

"She'll be fine." Carmine patted her arm. 'She's sweet…she'll forgive you,' she thought.

Hayden glanced over at Rhea. "Hey," he said. "What're you so sad for?"

"…Nothing," she mumbled, crossing her arms and pressing back into the soft sofa.

"Fine then," he said, turning his attention back to the loose threads on his jacket.

Rhea looked back at him, then looked away.

Carmine smirked. "Those two…"

Delya peeked over her shoulder, then turned back around, shaking her head, smiling. "Heh, they're always like that."

Hayden looked back at Carmine, a small grin on his face.

Like Delya, Carmine shook her head and smiled, turning back to the sandwiches.

A few minutes of silence passed.

"…Hey," started Rhea slowly. Everyone turned to her. "Um…where's Ezra?"

The four of them looked around the room. "He was sitting right there," Hayden looked to the armchair on his right.

"Maybe he just went to the bathroom or something." Carmine shrugged.

"Probably," he said, going back to counting the sequins on the pillow on his lap.

Delya stared at the empty doorway, thinking.

"…Delya?" She turned back.

"Huh?"

Carmine looked at her. "Nothing's wrong, he'll probably be back soon."

Delya nodded, slowly. "Y-Yeah…he's probably just…yeah…"

The two went back to fixing up the group's sandwiches. But Delya just couldn't get the thought out of her mind that he was up to something…and she wasn't sure if it was good or bad.

TT

'…Back here again,' thought Ezra as he climbed the last few stairs to the third floor. 'Hmm…I think her room is down the left hall, fifth on the right…'

He took a few steps forward before a voice stopped him. "…E-Ezra?"

'Well, I guess she found me first. _Again._' He turned around. There, on the stairs behind him, stood Arella. She was looking up at him hesitatingly, biting her lip.

"Um…hey," he said.

"Hi…" They stood there for a few seconds, feeling a little awkward.

"Uh…I was just looking for you," he said, breaking the silence.

She was surprised. "…R-Really?"

"Yeah…I kind of wanted to talk to you about something."

"Oh, um…sure," she said, leading them to her room. He opened the door, letting her enter first, then shutting it behind him. She sat down on the end of her bed. Ezra sat down on a chair next to the vanity. She played with the comforter with her fingers, still feeling awkward and unsure.

"Are…are you okay?" She looked up.

"Uh…I'm fine, it's just…" she stared down at the carpet. "It seems like…over the past few days, you've been, ah….avoiding me. I thought you were mad at me or, something…" She turned away, embarrassed.

He stared at her. '…Oh, no. What have I done?'

"Arella…" He got up and sat down next to her. "I'm not…I was _never _mad at you, don't…don't think that I am, okay?" She looked back at him.

"…Really?"

He smiled. "Really."

She exhaled. "Well, that's good…I was getting so _worried_. Every time we bumped into each other, you'd just…leave, and I had no idea why."

He sighed. "Yeah, about that…I am so sorry, Arella. I need to apologize for the way I've been acting, it's just…" He thought of the words to say. "…Well, that has to do with what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Oh yes, you wanted to talk…go ahead, then." She motioned for him to continue.

"Right…" He thought for a minute, playing with his fingers. He sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, I…I had this all planned out downstairs, but now I just can't--"

"It's okay," she said. "Take your time."

'Yeah…I'm gonna need a lot of it.' He thought for a while again before standing up. He walked to the window, running his fingers through his hair before turning back to her. He took a few steps forward.

"Arella." He looked down, then back up. "…What I'm about to tell you, it's…it's going to be a lot to take in, okay? And I know you'll be really shocked at first, probably mad, but--"

"Whoa, whoa," she broke in. "Ezra…whatever it is you have to tell me, no matter what, I won't get angry. I promise."

'…No, you will, I promise,' he thought. "Okay, but…it will be a huge surprise. That I can promise you." She nodded.

He sighed, heavily. "Arella, there's been a lot of…stuff going on around here lately, with the Council, and Lady Azar; it's been crazy."

"No kidding," she commented.

A small smirk appeared on his face for a few seconds. "Hehe…yes, well, I don't know if you know this, but…it has a lot to do with _you,_ Arella."

Her eyes widened. "Wait…_w-what?"_

"Yeah…" 'How can I say this to her? How? She'll…she'll be so _hurt…'_

He looked up at her face. She just watched him, waiting patiently. So innoncent. His eyes saddened. 'I'm so sorry, Arella,' he thought. 'Please…please forgive me.'

"…Remember your daughter, Arella?" he asked.

A sad smile appeared on her features. "How could I forget?"

"You remember how Delya told you she didn't make it?"

She stared at him strangely, but nodded slowly. "Yes, I do…but I don't see where this is going."

He ran his hand through his hair once again. "Arella, it's…it wasn't true. None of it was."

She continued to stare at him. "…W-What are you trying to say?" she asked, afraid of the next words that would come out of his mouth.

He swallowed. "Your daughter isn't dead. She's…she's alive."

She was silent. Her face was blank…but slowly, her eyes widened. Her lips parted slightly as it finally hit her. "Ezra…" She let out a breath shakily. "Please…please tell me that you're joking…"

He shook his head.

"No..." she denied. "No, this…this can't be right. It…it just can't be right, I-I _know _it's not because you…you would never lie to me, Ezra, I…I know you, so well, and I know you're just not like that…" She bit her lips, scrunching her eyes together to stop the tears from falling. She lowered her head, putting it in her hands.

Ezra looked at her and thought that this was the saddest sight he'd ever seen in his life. The heart of the woman he cared so much for was breaking right there…and it was all because of him. All because of what he couldn't—no…what he _didn't_ do.

He went forward to her side. He reached out to touch her shoulder. "Arella--"

"_Don't touch me!"_ she shouted, pulling back from him. He stepped away, staring at her. "P-Please, just…don't touch me, Ezra, _don't…"_ She turned her head to the side, her wavy dark hair falling in front of her face. But it didn't hide the tears that fell from her eyes, staining the comforter under her.

"I…" He was speechless.

She didn't say another word to him. But the tears continued to fall.

He had decided to leave, to give her some time to herself, but he'd stopped himself. 'No…' he thought. 'I'm not leaving you alone. Not again.'

He stepped forward and sat down next to her. She tried to shove him away, but he'd have none of it. "Ezra…Ezra, _please,"_ she begged, but he ignored her. He wrapped his arms around her, in a tight, warm embrace.

"Breathe," he whispered. "Just…just breathe."

She was silent, but did as she was told. Once, twice, three times…she breathed deeply.

He buried his face in her hair, still not letting go, trying to calm her down. "Before you speak," he said. "I just want you to know that ever since I met you, I've done my best to protect you, to look out for you. I've done my best, and I tried. I tried _so hard_, Arella. Don't think for even one minute that I didn't. I never wanted any of this to happen, especially to you. You…you don't deserve this. And that's why…that's why I'm here, right now. That's why I came to tell you--"

She put a finger on his lips, silencing him. "…Ezra," she said in a hushed tone. "Tell me everything," she said. "All I want you to do right now…is tell me _everything."_

And so he did. He told her all that he knew, all that he'd kept from her since they'd decided to take the baby to Lady Azar in the East. Every secret, every plan, every lie…he confessed it all to her. And she took it in. Though it pained her so, she took it in. Every single bit of it. By the end, she was blown away. It looked as if a truck had hit her.

"I…I can't believe it," she finally uttered.

"I know…" He glanced at her. She was staring down, still having a hard time believing any of it.

A few moments of silence went by.

"…Am I allowed to ask?" she said. He knew what she meant.

"Well…that's up to you to decide," he replied.

She looked at him for a few seconds. "Can I…can I see her?" she asked, with hope in her voice.

A small smile appeared on his face. "Hmm…it'll be difficult, but…" He stood up. "I think we can manage it."

She got up, slowly, excitement flowing throughout her body. He turned back to her.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

She nodded, smiling. His smile grew wider. "Then let's go." He took her hand and out the door they went.

"Where...is she?" Arella asked as they rushed down the hall, hurrying up the stairs.

"In a guestroom on the fourth floor," he replied. "The same one they kept her when Carmine was taking care of her. Raven seems to like that room."

She glanced up at him. "Is that her name?"

"Oh…um, well…it's the name Lady Azar gave to her…" he trailed off.

No one spoke…until she broke the silence.

"Well…I like it." Hearing that, Ezra smiled.

Reaching their destination, he pulled open the door for her. Hesitatingly, she stepped inside. Instantly, she saw the baby lying on a small bed across the room. She took a few steps forward, slowly, then ran all the way. She knelt down beside the sleeping infant, and just stared at her for a few seconds. Ezra made his way across, kneeling by her side. She reached out her hand, which was shaking slightly, and lightly stroked her forehead. The baby smiled in her sleep, which made Arella smile, too. Over and over she did this, just enjoying seeing her, touching her, being with her.

"Hold her, Arella," said Ezra.

She was uncertain whether or not she should do it, but she couldn't help herself. She gently picked her up and cradled her in her arms, back and forth. Suddenly, the infant yawned and opened her eyes.

She gasped. "They're…they're _beautiful," _she whispered. "Amethyst eyes…" She stared at the baby for a minute before biting her lip and slowly putting her down, back on the bed, under the sheets. She stood up and went to the window, arms crossed, holding herself protectively.

Ezra went to her side. "What's wrong?" he asked. "Aren't you happy to see her?"

"It's…It's not that," she replied, shaking her head. "It's just…" She looked back at the sleeping child. "This is the first and only time I'll ever see those beautiful eyes staring up at me."

Ezra put his arms around her once more. She leaned into him as he held her and they just stood there, together. Little Raven, lying on her bed, awoke once more and watched them. Sadness grew in her huge eyes as she saw her mother weep.

TT

"You need to leave."

Arella looked up at him. "…What?"

They were back up in Arella's room, sitting on the carpet. They hadn't said a word for a long while until now. Ezra knew she was in pain, but he had to tell her this now. There wasn't a moment left to spare.

"At the meeting a few days ago," he began. "The baby wasn't the only person we discussed. The Head…he said we needed to plan out what we were going to do about you, Arella."

"Me?" she asked, taken aback. "Why me?"

"You're her mother. They want to keep Raven as safe and protected as possible, and they thought that if you stayed here, then…"

"…I would interfere?" she finished for him. He looked away. "Yes…I thought you all would think that," she said. "I'm just…some irritating thorn in your plans. I get it…you don't want me to meddle, to mess things up."

"Arella…"

"No, no, I get it, Ezra," she said, hands up. "I understand." They were silent for a moment.

"…So what are you all planning to do to me, then?" she asked, finally.

"The Head sent for a potion to be made. He's going to put it into your drink tonight, at supper. It's suppose to…" he stopped.

"Yes? It's supposed to what?" She asked him.

"…It's suppose to make you forget." He finished, hesitatingly. She froze, then sat back, leaning against her bed. "I…I didn't want them to do this, really I didn't," Ezra tried to explain. "I tried to convince them this was wrong, but I--"

"Ezra," she cut in. She gently placed her hand on his forearm. He looked up at her. "I know you tried. I believe you with all my heart when you say that you tried so hard…for _me,"_ she said, her voice shaking slightly at the end. "But…it's okay. I'm just…" She looked for words to say. "I'm thankful you told me all of this. I knew it wasn't easy to…confess…but just know I'm very thankful. And…" She stood up, slowly, turning her back to her. "…I'll miss you." Her voice cracked.

He watched her for a moment and was about to say something, but decided against it. He got up and walked to her door. "…I'll meet you at the back door in twenty minutes," he told her before stepping out and shutting the door behind him.

She sighed as he left. She gathered the few belongings she had into a small bag and grabbed her broomstick. She stared down at it for a few minutes before deciding to leave it behind, in the corner of her room. The young woman picked up her sack and looked back at the room. It was so quiet, so peaceful…a few rays of sunlight streaming in through the curtains.

'…Where do I belong?' she asked herself. She turned around and silently walked out.

TT

Ezra turned as Arella approached him. He looked her up and down. "Where's your broomstick?" he asked.

"I left it here," she answered. "I don't need it; I'm not a witch anymore." She stood beside him on the grass, on the grounds behind the palace. They were both in thought for a few moments.

"…There's a family in town that I'm good friends with," he started. "They'll let you stay in their house for a while, until I can make some arrangements to--"

She put up a hand. "It's okay, you don't need to do that. I can…I can find my own way. I'll be fine." She reassured him. He looked at her doubtfully.

She chuckled. "Don't worry. This…this is what I've always wanted." She looked up to the sky. "I knew I never belonged in the North," she explained. "They loved me so much, but ever since I was little, I just had this feeling that I was meant to go somewhere else. Somewhere farther away, across the Border. And I guess…I was so foolish to think this was that place. I guess it…it isn't either. But don't worry," she glanced to her side, at him. "I'll find it someday. That place I can call…my home." She looked back up to the lavender sky. "It might take me months, years, even, but…I'll find it."

He stared at her for a moment. "So then…I guess this is goodbye."

She turned back to him. "Ezra," she began. She tried to think of something to say, but finding nothing, she rushed forward and hugged him. At first he was surprised, but he hugged her back. "Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you for everything you've done for me. I'll never forget you all. Never."

She slowly pulled back. They looked at each other before she started to walk away. "And who knows," she called over her shoulder. "Maybe we'll see each other again some day." She looked back, smiling. He smiled back.

Ezra stood there and watched her go across the fields, away from the sea, from the palace…from him. He stayed and waited until he couldn't see her anymore, until the sun set and the sky darkened, and the stars began to glow.

TT

"Are you telling me she's gone?"

The Head stood there, staring at two Council members. "She is," said one. "We spoke to some of the palace servants. No one can find her anywhere. She just…left."

He shook his head, hand going to his forehead. The other Council member waited before asking, "Um, sir, do you think maybe she…found out?"

He looked up at him. "Found out?" They both nodded. He thought for a moment. "Yes…I think that's possible," he said. "Someone must have told her."

"Heh…I bet it was that one servant who was rather found of her," said one Council member. "I had a feeling he wouldn't keep this a secret."

"Mm hmm," agreed the other. He sighed. "Young love, eh?"

"Yup." They both bid farewell to the Head and left the sitting room. The Head sat down in armchair. He suddenly heard the Council members' voices outside.

"Hey…what're you doing here, little girl?" he heard one say.

"Um…gotta go!" The voice of a young girl said quickly. He heard her footsteps on the marble floor as she ran away. The two men laughed as they left. The Head smiled. It was probably the sister of that other servant. He had a feeling she did things like eavesdropping rather often.

"Children…" he said to himself as he poured some wine into a glass.

Rhea ran down the stairs, all the way to the first floor. She burst into the sitting room, scaring the crap out of her sister and Hayden. "You guys!" she shouted. "She left! Arella's gone!"

Delya stood. "What do you mean? She just…"

"The Council members said they asked some servants and they said she's nowhere to be found, like she just, you know, up and left!"

Hayden looked up. "So…how did you find this out? Did the Council members just come up and tell you themselves? Or maybe…"

She blushed. "Um…hehe…well, you see--"

"Wait a minute," Delya broke in. "Rhea, did you find Ezra like you were suppose to? Or were you just playing around again?"

"Oh, well…um…eheheh, I'm just…gonna go now," she said quickly as she ran out of the room. Delya shook her head as Hayden laughed.

"See, Delya...she's happy again, no need to worry," he told her as she sat back down next to him on the sofa.

"Yeah…I guess you're right,' she said. "But for some reason, I just…feel so bad."

"Just give her some time," he advised her. "When she gets older, she'll understand."

"I hope so…" Delya went back to reading her novel. But the thought never left her mind.

TT

Arella had walked across the widespread fields and just entered the forest. A night wind blew past her, and she clung to her jacket even tighter. Exhausted, she collapsed on the ground, leaning back against a tree, dropping her bag next to her.

'I have no idea where I'm going to go,' she thought. She glanced to her side at a burrow. A fox suddenly shot out, stepping forward a few feet. It was just staring at her, its coal eyes looking straight into hers. A smaller fox darted out of the burrow and stepped beside the larger one. 'Oh…that must be its mother…' She smiled…but then her eyes grew sad and she turned away.

She closed her eyes and the tears began to fall again. She hugged herself as her bottom lip began to quiver. 'My baby…' she thought to herself. 'My Raven. I'll never see her…_ever again.'_

**The end! For now…hehe. Well that's it. I finally got this chapter up. Next chapter, things will be…very different. **_**New **_**characters and a new **_**leading actress**_**…if you get what I mean :)**

**So please review, tell me if this came out alright or what. I wanted to get this up as fast as possible…I like, wrote it in four days. So yeah. But I think its okay…all I want to know is what you think. So please REVIEW! Thank you.**


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